■ Japan
Mobile tie-up mulled
Japan's biggest power company, Tokyo Electric Power Co, is in talks with KDDI Corp, the country's No. 2 cellphone operator, to combine telecommuni-cations businesses in a move that could rival Nippon Telephone & Telegraph Corp, the companies said yesterday. A tie-up could tap the combined strength of TEPCO's fiber-optic broadband service and KDDI's wireless unit. KDDI has also been more successful than NTT DoCoMo, its main mobile competitor, in attracting customers to its third-generation wireless service. But the company's fixed-line business has been losing customers to cheaper Internet-protocol telephony. Spokesman from the two companies confirmed that cooperation talks are underway, but said nothing has been decided.
■ China
State groups might merge
China is set to order the merger of two major state electronics groups to create a multi-billion-dollar conglomerate as part of its bid to improve corporate competitiveness. The merger of China Electronics Corp (CEC) and China Great Wall Computer Group would make for a company worth more than 50 billion yuan (US$6.17 billion), the China Daily reported yesterday. The plan has already been submitted to the State Council's Asset Supervision and Administration Commission, which is meant to guide the growth of China's state enterprises. CEC had assets of 39.6 billion yuan in 2003, including Amoi Electronics and silicon-chip manufacturer Shanghai Huahong Corp, while Great Wall owns 12.2 billion yuan in assets, including Hong Kong-listed Great Wall Technology Co. Beijing is also studying the possibility of including the Panda Electronics Group in the tie-up as well another electronics conglomerate, China Putian Corp.
■ Hospitality
Singapore is cheaper
Five-star hotel rates in Singapore lagged behind those in Bangkok, Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai during the first six months of this year, a report on key Asian markets said yesterday. The city-state's top hotels had an average daily room rate of US$120 for the period, up 16.6 percent from the corresponding months of last year, according to Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels. Shanghai enjoyed the highest growth, 27.6 percent to US$199, the report said. Singapore's average daily room rate was US$1 lower than five-star hotels in Bangkok and US$22 lower than Beijing's. Hong Kong was at the top of the stack with an average rate double that of the city-state's.
■ Auto industry
Proton CEO ousted
Proton, Malaysia's national carmaker, was without its chief executive, Mahaleel Ariff, yesterday after forcing him out weeks after he criticized the government's auto-sector policies. Mahaleel's contract was not being renewed and the company will search for a new chief executive, Proton said in a statement. Mahaleel, who had served as chief executive since 1997, was "on leave" starting yesterday but would no longer be involved in company matters before he officially retires in September, it said. Former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, who is Proton's adviser, said Mahaleel had refused to agree to the terms in his new contract, which he claimed to be "inferior," prompting the company to decide not to renew it.
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
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
SHOT IN THE ARM: The new system can be integrated with Avenger and Stinger missiles to bolster regional air defense capabilities, a defense ministry report said Domestically developed Land Sword II (陸射劍二) missiles were successfully launched and hit target drones during a live-fire exercise at the Jiupeng Military Base in Pingtung County yesterday. The missiles, developed by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST), were originally scheduled to launch on Tuesday last week, after the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday long weekend, but were postponed to yesterday due to weather conditions. Local residents and military enthusiasts gathered outside the base to watch the missile tests, with the first one launching at 9:10am. The Land Sword II system, which is derived from the Sky Sword II (天劍二) series, was turned