Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor Inc (金門酒廠), producer of Taiwan's renowned sorghum firewater, breathed a sigh of relief yesterday after a lawmaker hinted that clear spirits from China will remain barred from import into Taiwan unless the Middle Kingdom permits the import of Kinmen Kaoliang.
"The day when Chinese clear spirits are allowed to be imported into Taiwan is the day when Kinmen Kaoliang liquor is allowed to be sold in China," New Party Legislator Wu Cherng-dean (吳成典) said from Kinmen.
Wu made the statement at a ceremony where Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor Inc signed a deal on a partnership with Tait Marketing & Distribution Co (德記洋行). Tait — a consumer-goods distributor that markets groceries, personal care products, beverages and alcohol — will serve as a new distributor for Kinmen Kaoliang liquor in Taiwan.
PHOTO: TAIT
Wu's remarks ended a two-week silence since the Board of Foreign Trade announced on Aug. 16 that Chinese liquor with high alcoholic content, such as Luzhou Laojiao (瀘州老窖) and Kweichow Moutai (貴州茅台), will continue to be barred in Taiwan, citing opposition by Wu and Kinmen County Commissioner Lee Chu-feng (李炷烽). They are concerned about the future of sorghum farmers on the island.
"We have no intention to stand in the way and no plans to set limits on the entry of clear liquor from China; what we simply want is reciprocity," Wu said.
Several liquor importers — which ironically also include Tait — were originally expecting the board to lift the importation ban on Aug. 16, which was a major threat to Kaoliang liquor and other spirits produced by the Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corp (台灣菸酒).
Ed Shyurng (
Tait beat Nanlien International Corp (
"The market opening after both China and Taiwan joined the WTO has resulted in a huge structural change in the market. But in my opinion that change poses no difficulty for leading brands [such as Kinmen Kaoliang]; it is actually an opportunity for the brand to upgrade and improve," Shyurng said.
Tait will help Kinmen Kaoliang enjoy brisk sales in Taiwan as well as assisting it to tap into the emerging Chinese markets, Shyurng said.
Lee Jung-wen (
BYPASSING CHINA TARIFFS: In the first five months of this year, Foxconn sent US$4.4bn of iPhones to the US from India, compared with US$3.7bn in the whole of last year Nearly all the iPhones exported by Foxconn Technology Group (富士康科技集團) from India went to the US between March and last month, customs data showed, far above last year’s average of 50 percent and a clear sign of Apple Inc’s efforts to bypass high US tariffs imposed on China. The numbers, being reported by Reuters for the first time, show that Apple has realigned its India exports to almost exclusively serve the US market, when previously the devices were more widely distributed to nations including the Netherlands and the Czech Republic. During March to last month, Foxconn, known as Hon Hai Precision Industry
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and the University of Tokyo (UTokyo) yesterday announced the launch of the TSMC-UTokyo Lab to promote advanced semiconductor research, education and talent development. The lab is TSMC’s first laboratory collaboration with a university outside Taiwan, the company said in a statement. The lab would leverage “the extensive knowledge, experience, and creativity” of both institutions, the company said. It is located in the Asano Section of UTokyo’s Hongo, Tokyo, campus and would be managed by UTokyo faculty, guided by directors from UTokyo and TSMC, the company said. TSMC began working with UTokyo in 2019, resulting in 21 research projects,
Ashton Hall’s morning routine involves dunking his head in iced Saratoga Spring Water. For the company that sells the bottled water — Hall’s brand of choice for drinking, brushing his teeth and submerging himself — that is fantastic news. “We’re so thankful to this incredible fitness influencer called Ashton Hall,” Saratoga owner Primo Brands Corp’s CEO Robbert Rietbroek said on an earnings call after Hall’s morning routine video went viral. “He really helped put our brand on the map.” Primo Brands, which was not affiliated with Hall when he made his video, is among the increasing number of companies benefiting from influencer
Quanta Computer Inc (廣達) chairman Barry Lam (林百里) yesterday expressed a downbeat view about the prospects of humanoid robots, given high manufacturing costs and a lack of target customers. Despite rising demand and high expectations for humanoid robots, high research-and-development costs and uncertain profitability remain major concerns, Lam told reporters following the company’s annual shareholders’ meeting in Taoyuan. “Since it seems a bit unworthy to use such high-cost robots to do household chores, I believe robots designed for specific purposes would be more valuable and present a better business opportunity,” Lam said Instead of investing in humanoid robots, Quanta has opted to invest
RSS