Continental Development Corp (大陸建設) yesterday sealed an agreement with Daiwa House Industry Co to develop two buildings in Kaohsiung’s central area, the first foray into the city’s property market for both firms.
The joint venture consists of a hotel with 260 guestrooms under the Nikko Hotel brand and a residential building with 227 apartments, company officials said.
“It is the first time Continental Development will have a presence in Kaohsiung and it will not be the last time, as the southern city has gained rapid headway in attracting business,” Continental Development chairman Christopher Chang (張良吉) told a signing ceremony in Kaohsiung.
Photo: Hsu Yi-ping, Taipei Times
Continental Development spotted the 1,550 ping (5,115m2) plot of land in the booming Asia New Bay (亞洲新灣區) area three years ago and believed that it would be more profitable as a mixed-use complex, Chang said.
Japan-based Daiwa House shared the view and agreed to join hands, he said.
Daiwa House board director Yukio Takamatsu said via teleconference that his company was attracted by the lot’s quick access to the harbor and mountains, which is favorable for hotel operations and residential apartments.
The Japanese construction firm has sought to expand its business in Asia and the Kaohsiung project represents its first attempt in Taiwan, Takamatsu said.
It might usher in more ventures in the region, he said.
Okura Nikko Hotel Management Co, which manages properties under the Okura Hotels & Resorts, Hotel JAL City and Nikko Hotels International brands, has agreed to launch the Nikko Hotel Kaohsiung, which might start operations in 2023.
Okura Nikko president Toshihiro Ogita said via teleconference that the Nikko Kaohsiung would be the group’s third property in Taiwan after the Hotel Royal-Nikko Taipei and the Okura Prestige Taipei.
Taiwan, known for its global technology leadership, is a promising market to set up a branch, Ogita said, adding that the government’s competent handling of the COVID-19 pandemic has raised Taiwan’s image on the world stage and helped to support business.
Construction of the residential building is expected to finish in 2023, with Hiyes International Co Ltd (海悅國際開發) tapped to help with marketing.
Hiyes intends to price the apartments, which are to be 22 to 56 ping, at NT$450,000 to NT$550,000 per ping, officials said.
Kaohsiung, formerly dominated by heavy industries such as China Steel Corp (中鋼), has sought to attract service-oriented businesses and the effort has paid off, said Continental Development, the property arm of Taipei-based Continental Holdings Corp (欣陸控股).
The Nikko Hotel Kaohsiung and top-grade but affordable apartments would become the port city’s next spotlight, Chang said.
AVOIDING CONFUSION: Passengers are to be able to check in two items of luggage, while the free weight allowance is to be increased to conform with other airlines EVA Airways Corp (長榮航空) yesterday announced that from June 23 it is to adopt a new baggage allowance policy for all passengers with a higher weight limit as it aims to benefit passengers and increase efficiency. The airline currently has a two-system baggage policy: It allows passengers flying to the US and Canada to check in two pieces of baggage with a free weight allowance, while for those flying to Asia, Europe and Oceania there is also a free weight allowance, but no limit on the number of pieces of baggage. From June 23, passengers would be able to check in two
MORE THAN BUZZ: The chip designer said it has received numerous orders from automakers to supply 5G modem chips, as it works to expand beyond smartphones MediaTek Inc (聯發科) yesterday said it would ship the first 5G chips for vehicles to customers in the Asia-Pacific region by the end of the year, as it moves to expand the reach of its 5G chips beyond smartphones. The Hsinchu-based chip designer said it has been developing 5G chips for connected vehicles over the past few years, targeting applications such as telematics and in-vehicle information systems. “We are seeing demand for 5G technology from numerous makers of connected cars, including electric vehicle makers. We have obtained numerous orders from automakers to supply 5G modem chips with highly integrated features,” J.C. Hsu
Qualcomm Inc yesterday said it would maintain its supply chain strategy of sourcing chips from multiple foundry partners, including advanced chips from two major suppliers, to ensure a sufficient chip supply amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualcomm is reportedly working with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and Samsung Electronics Co on advanced products, such as 4-nanometer chips, for its new flagship 5G chips, the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 series. Qualcomm is sourcing chips made by mature technologies from several foundry partners, the company said. Alex Katouzian, general manager of Qualcomm Technologies Inc’s mobile, compute and XR business, told a virtual media briefing that
US DRAM maker Micron Technology Inc is set to install the industry’s most cutting-edge technology — extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography equipment — in its facility in Taichung this year, the company said yesterday. In early preparation for the volume production of 1-gamma nanometer node DRAM, “we plan to introduce EUV tools to our Taichung fab later this year,” Micron president and chief executive officer Sanjay Mehrotra said via video at the Computex trade show in Taipei. Gamma refers to the dimension of half the distance between cells in a DRAM chip. Micron is also looking forward to beginning mass production of its
RSS