■ Semiconductors
Elpida seeks Hynix tariffs
Elpida Memory Inc, a ven-ture chipmaker of NEC Corp. and Hitachi Ltd, asked Japan to impose tariffs on Hynix Semiconductor Inc chips, claiming the company is subsidized by the South Korean government. The request by Elpida and Micron Japan Ltd to the Ministry of Finance follows an "improper subsidy" paid to Hynix by the Seoul government, Elpida spokes-woman Yuko Takahashi said. Elpida's actions are "inappropriate" and there was no illegitimate subsidy, Hynix said in a statement. For Hynix, already subject to punitive taxes from the US and the EU, extra duties from Japan means its may have to expand production overseas to dodge the taxes.
■ Telecoms
Sales boom for SE Asia
Samsung Electronics Co, the world's third-largest mobile-phone maker, said mobile handset sales in Southeast Asia will surge as much as three-quarters this year, aided by rising de-mand in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. Samsung will sell as many as 7.5 million phones in the region, including Australia and New Zealand, compared with 4.3 million last year, said Park Sang-jin, Samsung's presi-dent and chief executive for Southeast Asia and Pacific. The Seoul-based company expects to boost its share in the region to 20 percent by the end of this year from 17.5 percent, he said in an interview at the Communi-casia trade show in Singa-pore. The company expects its global market share to increase from the first quarter's 13.1 percent, Park said.
■ Telecoms
Satellite market recovering
Asia will lead a global recovery in the commercial satellite market as the region's telecommunica-tions giants scramble to have their own relay stations launched into orbit, European specialist Arianespace said yesterday. The global commercial satellite market is recover-ing from its worst ever crisis caused by the burst of the dotcom bubble, Ariane-space chief executive Jean-Yves Le Gall said. Le Gall said growing demand for direct TV links through satellites and high-speed Internet connections are expected to spur telecom-munications firms to put up their own stations. The recovery should start this year, with 15 expected satellite launches world-wide, still down from the previous annual average of between 20 and 30. Of the 15 contracts, Le Gall said he expects Arianespace to get eight. Arianespace is the world's leading carrier of commercial satellites, accounting for 60 percent of the launches.
■ Automobiles
Mitsubishi trims costs
Mitsubishi Motors Corp revised its turnaround plan yesterday to further lower costs by slashing paychecks and reducing research and travel expenses. The auto-maker said in a statement that it expects to lose an additional ?60 billion (US$548 million) in the current and following fiscal years. Executives' salaries will be cut by a quarter to a half, while rank-and-file workers' wages will be cut by 5 percent for the next two years as part of a plan to trim costs by ?72.6 billion this fiscal year and next, it said. The company will also forego retirement allow-ances for directors and year-end bonuses for employees, it said. Suffering from deep losses and debts of more than ?1 trillion, Mitsubishi Motors announced a plan last month to cut nearly 11,000 jobs, close a car plant and receive a fresh cash injection of ?450 billion.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source