Vice Premier Simon Chang (張善政) yesterday said that he would like Facebook Inc to set up a data center in Taiwan, following its opening of an office in Taipei.
“Of course I hope so. Who would not want that?” Chang told reporters when asked about the possibility of such a center on the sidelines of an inaugural banquet for Facebook’s Taiwan office.
Chang, a former Google Inc executive, said Facebook plays a crucial role in the daily lives of many Taiwanese.
He said that the Facebook office will introduce more innovative marketing tools and business models for local e-commerce operators, and help encourage young app developers.
In response to Chang’s comment about a possible data center, Facebook said it is open to all kinds of opportunities, but has not made a decision on that issue.
Facebook said earlier in the day that it would set up a small team in Taipei to better support local businesses, but did not say how many people would be on the team.
Taiwan Facebook Ltd was established in Taipei’s Xinyi District on Dec. 24 last year, with capital of NT$3 million (US$95,200), according to the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
Jayne Leung (梁幼莓), head of the Greater China region at Facebook, serves as the branch’s representative.
Facebook statistics show that there are 15 million active Facebook users in Taiwan per month, with 13 million of them connecting to the site via mobile devices.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Many Japanese couples are coming to Taiwan to obtain donated sperm or eggs for fertility treatment due to conservatism in their home country, Taiwan’s high standards and low costs, doctors said. One in every six couples in Japan is receiving infertility treatment, Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare data show. About 70,000 children are born in Japan every year through in vitro fertilization (IVF), or about one in every 11 children born. Few people accept donated reproductive cells in Japan due to a lack of clear regulations, leaving treatment in a “gray zone,” Taichung Nuwa Fertility Center medical director Wang Huai-ling (王懷麟)
PROXIMITY: Prague is closer to Dresden than Berlin is, so Taiwanese firms are expected to take advantage of the Czech capital’s location, the Executive Yuan official said Taiwan plans to boost cooperation with the Czech Republic in semiconductor development due to Prague’s pivotal role in the European IC industry, Executive Yuan Secretary-General Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) said. With Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) building a wafer fab in the German city of Dresden, a Germany-Czech Republic-Poland “silicon triangle” is forming, Kung said in a media interview on the weekend after returning from a visit to Prague. “Prague is closer to Dresden than Berlin is, so Taiwanese firms are expected to take advantage of the Czech capital’s location,” he said. “Taiwan and Prague have already launched direct flights and it is
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