China’s rising demand for petrochemical products boosted the trade value and cargo volume at Taichung Port’s free-trade zone last year, the Department of Navigation and Aviation said yesterday.
Department statistics showed the total trade value of the free-trade zone reached NT$501.9 billion (US$16.79 billion) last year, while cargo volume reached 10.17 million tonnes. This represents growth of 65.85 percent and 149.76 percent respectively from 2011, the department said.
Wang Yu-ming (王玉明), a section chief at the department, said the increase was largely attributed to growth in petrochemical product trade. Trade value in this category was NT$163.27 billion last year, three times more than in 2011, he said.
Wang said China has increased its demand for petrochemical products. Some Asian oil trading firms, including Winson, Gunvor, Vitol and Hin Leong Groups, have also started purchasing petrochemical products from Taiwan because of their better quality and the investment incentives offered by the zone.
“We have lowered the charges for wharf passage from NT$16 per tonne to NT$4,” he said. “The harbor management fee is also below NT$40.”
The department said the free-trade zone at the port was the development base for the trade in petrochemical goods in Taiwan.
Oil product traders such as Chenergy Global, Prime Oil Chemical Service and Yi-Chiu Group have leased properties at the port.
Meanwhile, the department also announced that a new international terminal at Taichung International Airport would soon be available, with construction scheduled to be completed by the end of this month.
Department director-general Chi Wen-jong (祁文中) said the new terminal would increase the airport’s capacity from 1.2 million passengers per year to 2.55 million.
Chi also said the ministry held a meeting yesterday to discuss EVA Airways Corp’s proposal to build a fourth maintenance hanger at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, a subject recently raised by the airline’s president.
While the ministry would help any carrier expand its maintenance capacity at the airport, the measure must be taken under the condition that it would not impede the airport’s development, Chi said.
The land that EVA Airways is eyeing is about 5.6 hectares, Chi said, about 1 hectare of which is being used by Sunrise Airlines.
Sunrise has the right to use the land until 2016, when its lease with the government expires. If another airline can pursuade Sunrise to relocate, the government would agree to let that carrier use the 5.6 hectare plot for 10 to 15 years, Chi said.
“Taoyuan International Airport Corp is reserving the land to be used as apron for the yet-to-bebuilt Terminal Three [T3],” Chi said. “As the passenger volume for T3 may take some time to develop, we agreed to let a carrier use the land for some time to meet their special needs before we take it back.”
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese