A local business tycoon who was reportedly forbidden by Beijing authorities from leaving China returned to Taipei yesterday evening, according to a press release issued by his Taipei company last night.
Shin Kong Mitsukoshi department store, however, declined to confirm whether its general manager, Steven Wu (
The Chinese-language Commercial Times reported yesterday that Wu, who leads a group of Taiwanese staff operating the Shin Kong Place in Beijing, had been forbidden to leave China earlier this week, just before he was scheduled to return to Taipei for a business conference.
The paper said that Chinese Public Security officers said that Wu was allegedly involved in economic crimes and should not leave China until a criminal investigation had been carried out.
The paper quoted a member of Wu's Taiwanese staff as saying that Wu was caught off-guard by the order, adding that it probably stemmed from a dispute between Wu and his Chinese partner, Ji Xiao-an (
Wu, who has opened seven outlets within as many years in Taiwan for Shin Kong Mitsukoshi, owns a 50 percent stake in Beijing's Shin Kong Place, which has capital of 750 million yuan (US$99.19 million).
The store has made significant profits since it opened in April this year, with its revenue growing by 12 percent each month, but a dispute over its ownership broke out between Wu and Ji, who has tried to get rid of Wu and his Taiwanese staff, claiming that they accept bribes in connection with the store's operation, the Commercial Times, said.
The paper predicted that Wu would lose control of the store.
Shin Kong Mitsukoshi in Taiwan is owned by Wu's family and is the nation's largest department store chain, with a revenue of NT$60 billion last year.
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
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COLD FACTS: ‘Snow skin’ mooncakes, made with a glutinous rice skin and kept at a low temperature, have relatively few calories compared with other mooncakes Traditional mooncakes are a typical treat for many Taiwanese in the lead-up to the Mid-Autumn Festival, but a Taipei-based dietitian has urged people not to eat more than one per day and not to have them every day due to their high fat and calorie content. As mooncakes contain a lot of oil and sugar, they can have negative health effects on older people and those with diabetes, said Lai Yu-han (賴俞含), a dietitian at Taipei Hospital of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. “The maximum you can have is one mooncake a day, and do not eat them every day,” Lai