■ Politics
Goh promises to step down
Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong (吳作棟) said he would be comfortable about stepping down in favor of chosen successor Lee Hsien Loong (李顯龍) if the economy grew 3 percent to 4 percent, the Sunday Times newspaper reported. Goh, who has been Prime Minister since 1990, chose Deputy Prime Minister Lee in August to succeed him, saying the transition could occur before the next general election due in 2007 and possibly even next year if the economy recovered. The newspaper quoted Goh as telling reporters on Saturday he would decide after the first quarter of next year. "Political transition is on track. At the moment, I am open. I do not have any date in mind," Goh said. The government's official forecast is for GDP growth of 0.5 to 1.0 percent this year, rising to between 3 percent and 5 percent next year.
■ Statistics
Businesspeople optimistic
About 70 percent of business leaders believe the Japanese economy is improving, a Kyodo News survey showed. According to the survey results released late Saturday, not only was business sentiment improving but there was optimism for a full recovery next year, with 75 percent of business executives expecting the economy to moderately expand. Twenty-eight major companies, or 25 percent, of the 112 polled said the economy "remains flat" -- a sharp decline from 85 percent in a similar survey in the summer, Kyodo said. In contrast, 78 firms regarded it as "expanding moderately," with none suggesting it was "suffering a setback."
■ Trade
Australia-US talks planned
Australian Trade Minister Mark Vaile may visit Washington late next month to complete a free-trade agreement with chief US negotiator Bob Zoellick, Sydney's Sunday Telegraph reported. Talks remain unresolved on opening US agricultural markets to more Australian exports, Australia's strict quarantine laws and on government-mandated prices charged in Australia for some US drugs, the newspaper said. Australian Prime Minister John Howard and US President George W. Bush had said they wanted to sign an agreement by the end of this year. Annual trade between the two nations was worth US$31 billion last year. A free-trade agreement may be worth US$2.7 billion in extra annual sales for Australian businesses, an Australian government report said. The US is Australia's biggest market for beef and lamb, and is a major buyer of minerals and fiber.
BACK IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD: The planned transit by the ‘Baden-Wuerttemberg’ and the ‘Frankfurt am Main’ would be the German Navy’s first passage since 2002 Two German warships are set to pass through the Taiwan Strait in the middle of this month, becoming the first German naval vessels to do so in 22 years, Der Spiegel reported on Saturday. Reuters last month reported that the warships, the frigate Baden-Wuerttemberg and the replenishment ship Frankfurt am Main, were awaiting orders from Berlin to sail the Strait, prompting a rebuke to Germany from Beijing. Der Spiegel cited unspecified sources as saying Beijing would not be formally notified of the German ships’ passage to emphasize that Berlin views the trip as normal. The German Federal Ministry of Defense declined to comment. While
‘REGRETTABLE’: TPP lawmaker Vivian Huang said that ‘we will continue to support Chairman Ko and defend his innocence’ as he was transferred to a detention facility The Taipei District Court yesterday ruled that Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) be detained and held incommunicado over alleged corruption dating to his time as mayor of Taipei. The ruling reversed a decision by the court on Monday morning that Ko be released without bail. After prosecutors on Wednesday appealed the Monday decision, the High Court said that Ko had potentially been “actively involved” in the alleged corruption and ordered the district court to hold a second detention hearing. Ko did not speak to reporters upon his arrival at the district court at about 9:10am yesterday to attend a procedural
Thirty Taiwanese firms, led by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and ASE Technology Holding Co (日月光投控), yesterday launched a silicon photonics industry alliance, aiming to accelerate the medium’s development and address the energy efficiency of artificial intelligence (AI) devices like data centers. As the world is ushering in a new AI era with tremendous demand for computing power and algorithms, energy consumption is emerging as a critical issue, TSMC vice president of integrated interconnect and packaging business C.K. Hsu (徐國晉) told a media briefing in Taipei. To solve this issue, it is essential to introduce silicon photonics and copackaged optics (CPO)
The High Court yesterday overturned a Taipei District Court decision to release Taiwan People’s Party Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and sent the case back to the lower court. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office on Saturday questioned Ko amid a probe into alleged corruption involving the Core Pacific City development project during his time as Taipei mayor. Core Pacific City, also known as Living Mall (京華城購物中心), was a shopping mall in Taipei’s Songshan District (松山) that has since been demolished. On Monday, the Taipei District Court granted a second motion by Ko’s attorney to release him without bail, a decision the prosecutors’ office appealed
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