MEDIA
iQiyi vows to stay in nation
China’s biggest video-on-demand provider, iQiyi (愛奇藝), yesterday said in a statement that it would not leave the local market, despite authorities’ rejection of its application to establish a subsidiary in Taiwan. The Chinese company’s remarks came after the Investment Commission on Monday turned down iQiyi’s request to establish an information service company. The commission’s decision will not affect the interests of iQiyi’s members in Taiwan, nor the company’s plan to expand its operations here, iQiyi said. The company will continue to communicate with officials in the hopes of changing the government’s mind, it added. The company operates in Taiwan via a local content distributor, OTT Entertainment Ltd (歐銻銻).
TAIWAN
Asustek tops brand rankings
Asustek Computer Inc (華碩) was named the top Taiwanese global brand for the fourth straight year with an estimated brand value of US$1.74 billion, according to an annual list of top brands released yesterday by the Ministry of Economic Affairs. Internet security company Trend Micro Inc (趨勢科技) and Want Want China Holdings Ltd (中國旺旺控股) secured second and third place with estimated brand values of US$1.36 billion and US$1.02 billion respectively, the ministry’s report said. Acer Inc’s (宏碁) ranking dropped from fourth last year to seventh, with its estimated brand value falling 26 percent to US$426 million, the report said. Companies in the top 20 saw their cumulative brand value expand 3.21 percent to US$9.24 billion, the report added. The brand value research was organized by the ministry’s Industrial Development Bureau and carried out by the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research (台灣經濟研究院) and brand consultancy Interbrand.
AIRLINES
TransAsia controls tightened
Restrictions on trading of TransAsia Airways Corp (復興航空) shares have been tightened, as the troubled carrier has been unable to meet its obligations to debtors, the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE) announced yesterday. A check issued by the carrier bounced on Wednesday last week, and the airline yesterday said it would default on European convertible bonds worth US$75 million due to a lack of funds, according to the TWSE. Beginning today, trading of TransAsia shares is to be processed under the periodic call auction trading method, the TWSE said. In periodic call auction trading, buy and sell orders are manually matched once every 30 minutes. TransAsia shares yesterday swung wildly throughout the session, opening 10 percent lower than on the previous day at NT$3.08 and rising 10 percent to close at NT$3.76.
TELECOMS
Commission warns providers
The Fair Trade Commission yesterday warned the nation’s telecoms that they are at risk of breaking rules against collusion amid deliberations on whether to phase out unlimited mobile data plans. Taiwan Mobile Co (台灣大哥大) and Far EasTone Telecommunications Co (遠傳電信) have on numerous occasions publicly announced that they would phase out unlimited data plans if the nation’s biggest carrier, Chunghwa Telecom Co (中華電信), makes the first move, commission Vice Chairman Chiu Yung-ho (邱永和) said. Such actions are approaching collusion, which is punishable with fines ranging from NT$100,000 to NT$50 million (US$3,143 to US$1.57 million), Chiu said, adding that Taiwan Mobile and Far EasTone should refrain from making similar public statements.
SEMICONDUCTORS: The German laser and plasma generator company will expand its local services as its specialized offerings support Taiwan’s semiconductor industries Trumpf SE + Co KG, a global leader in supplying laser technology and plasma generators used in chip production, is expanding its investments in Taiwan in an effort to deeply integrate into the global semiconductor supply chain in the pursuit of growth. The company, headquartered in Ditzingen, Germany, has invested significantly in a newly inaugurated regional technical center for plasma generators in Taoyuan, its latest expansion in Taiwan after being engaged in various industries for more than 25 years. The center, the first of its kind Trumpf built outside Germany, aims to serve customers from Taiwan, Japan, Southeast Asia and South Korea,
Gasoline and diesel prices at domestic fuel stations are to fall NT$0.2 per liter this week, down for a second consecutive week, CPC Corp, Taiwan (台灣中油) and Formosa Petrochemical Corp (台塑石化) announced yesterday. Effective today, gasoline prices at CPC and Formosa stations are to drop to NT$26.4, NT$27.9 and NT$29.9 per liter for 92, 95 and 98-octane unleaded gasoline respectively, the companies said in separate statements. The price of premium diesel is to fall to NT$24.8 per liter at CPC stations and NT$24.6 at Formosa pumps, they said. The price adjustments came even as international crude oil prices rose last week, as traders
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), which supplies advanced chips to Nvidia Corp and Apple Inc, yesterday reported NT$1.046 trillion (US$33.1 billion) in revenue for last quarter, driven by constantly strong demand for artificial intelligence (AI) chips, falling in the upper end of its forecast. Based on TSMC’s financial guidance, revenue would expand about 22 percent sequentially to the range from US$32.2 billion to US$33.4 billion during the final quarter of 2024, it told investors in October last year. Last year in total, revenue jumped 31.61 percent to NT$3.81 trillion, compared with NT$2.89 trillion generated in the year before, according to
PRECEDENTED TIMES: In news that surely does not shock, AI and tech exports drove a banner for exports last year as Taiwan’s economic growth experienced a flood tide Taiwan’s exports delivered a blockbuster finish to last year with last month’s shipments rising at the second-highest pace on record as demand for artificial intelligence (AI) hardware and advanced computing remained strong, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. Exports surged 43.4 percent from a year earlier to US$62.48 billion last month, extending growth to 26 consecutive months. Imports climbed 14.9 percent to US$43.04 billion, the second-highest monthly level historically, resulting in a trade surplus of US$19.43 billion — more than double that of the year before. Department of Statistics Director-General Beatrice Tsai (蔡美娜) described the performance as “surprisingly outstanding,” forecasting export growth
RSS