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.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
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