■ Tourism
Thailand fears decline
Thailand's political crisis and an ongoing insurgency in the south are driving away Asian holidaymakers, with industry experts warning the kingdom could miss its annual tourism target. The state-run Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has forecast that 13.8 million foreign tourists will visit the kingdom this year. Asians make up 60 percent of the total. But the Kasikorn Research Center said tourist arrivals would reach 12.5 million, with tourism revenue seen at 460 billion baht (US$12.2 billion), down from the TAT's target of 486 billion baht. "Protracted demonstrations and unrest in the south may intensify during the interim government," the center said in a paper. "This will affect the tourism atmosphere in the late part of the first quarter, and many tourists could delay or change their plans."
■ Trade
ASEAN ministers meet
Economic ministers from the ASEAN will gather in Manila today for a three day meeting with economic integration and trade issues topping the agenda. Philippine Trade Secretary Peter Favila said in a statement yesterday that the meeting will cover issues of "intra-ASEAN economic integration and integration with free trade agreement partners." The ministers are expected to discuss progress towards implementing an ASEAN Economic Community and a free-trade agreement (FTA) with South Korea. Details of the ASEAN-South Korea FTA have yet to be finalized and it is not known what products will be covered or when the agreement will take effect. ASEAN has already negotiated a free-trade deal with China, and is aiming to create the world's biggest free trade zone by 2010 with a combined population of nearly 2 billion people.
■ Beverages
Asahi investing in China
Asahi Breweries will invest ¥4 billion (US$36 million) to build a new plant in China amid intensifying competition in China's beer market, the world's biggest, a news report said yesterday. The plant, to be built in the southern city of Huzhou in Zhejiang Province, will start production in May 2007 with an annual production capacity of 100,000 kiloliters, Japan's business daily Nihon Keizai said. That would increase the company's total annual beer production in China by 15 percent to 770,000 kiloliters, the largest among Japanese breweries in China, the paper said, without citing sources. Asahi, which has the largest share in Japan's beer market, aims to increase beer sales to 740,000 kiloliters a year next year, up 26 percent from last year, the paper said.
■ Aviation
Airbus admits mistakes
The planemaker Airbus has made mistakes in its thinking on development of a model to compete with Boeing's new 787, a chief executive of the European consortium admitted on Saturday. In an interview with the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag, made available in advance, Germany's Thomas Enders said Airbus had under-estimated the Boeing 787. "That's why we needed some time to come up with a competitive aircraft," said Enders, co-chairman of the European Aerospace, Defence and Space company which owns Airbus together with British defense group BAE Systems. "We've made mistakes. But we have put this behind us," he said. The company reckoned with sales of 200 of the projected new twin-engined A350 model, which has come under criticism from potential customers. The company has received 100 firm orders for the A350.
NO HUMAN ERROR: After the incident, the Coast Guard Administration said it would obtain uncrewed aerial vehicles and vessels to boost its detection capacity Authorities would improve border control to prevent unlawful entry into Taiwan’s waters and safeguard national security, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday after a Chinese man reached the nation’s coast on an inflatable boat, saying he “defected to freedom.” The man was found on a rubber boat when he was about to set foot on Taiwan at the estuary of Houkeng River (後坑溪) near Taiping Borough (太平) in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), authorities said. The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) northern branch said it received a report at 6:30am yesterday morning from the New Taipei City Fire Department about a
IN BEIJING’S FAVOR: A China Coast Guard spokesperson said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters it claims The Philippines withdrew its coast guard vessel from a South China Sea shoal that has recently been at the center of tensions with Beijing. BRP Teresa Magbanua “was compelled to return to port” from Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal, 仙濱暗沙) due to bad weather, depleted supplies and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday in a post on X. The Philippine vessel “will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission” after it has been resupplied and repaired, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the nation’s maritime council, said
REGIONAL STABILITY: Taipei thanked the Biden administration for authorizing its 16th sale of military goods and services to uphold Taiwan’s defense and safety The US Department of State has approved the sale of US$228 million of military goods and services to Taiwan, the US Department of Defense said on Monday. The state department “made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale” to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US for “return, repair and reshipment of spare parts and related equipment,” the defense department’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a news release. Taiwan had requested the purchase of items and services which include the “return, repair and reshipment of classified and unclassified spare parts for aircraft and related equipment; US Government
More than 500 people on Saturday marched in New York in support of Taiwan’s entry to the UN, significantly more people than previous years. The march, coinciding with the ongoing 79th session of the UN General Assembly, comes close on the heels of growing international discourse regarding the meaning of UN Resolution 2758. Resolution 2758, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971, recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the “only lawful representative of China.” It resulted in the Republic of China (ROC) losing its seat at the UN to the PRC. Taiwan has since been excluded from