■ Semiconductors
Elpida plant to open in 2005
Elpida Memory Inc, Japan's sole maker of computer memory chips, will spend Y500 billion (US$4.5 billion) on a new semiconductor plant that will go into production late next year. Monthly production at the plant in Hiroshima is expected to reach 60,000 wafers a month, the com-pany said in a statement on its Web site. The venture between NEC Corp and Hitachi Ltd did not say how it will pay for the plant. Elpida's investment repre-sents president Yuko Saka-moto's effort to keep pace with Samsung Electronics Co and Micron Technology Inc, the world's largest memory-chip makers. Elpida's share of the DRAM market slipped to 4.5 percent in the first quarter from 4.7 percent in the fourth quarter last year after Mosel Vitelic Inc (茂矽) overtook the Japanese chipmaker, according to market researcher Isuppli Corp.
■ Telecoms
Telstra to offer `i-mode'
Telstra Corp, Australia's largest telecommunications carrier, and Japan's NTT DoCoMo said yesterday they have agreed to provide "i-mode," DoCoMo's mobile based Internet service, to Australian customers. DoCoMo, Japan's biggest mobile-telephone service provider, launched i-mode in Japan in 1998. Boasting 48 million domestic subscribers and 2 million overseas, the service allows users to exchange e-mail, download ring-tones, search for restaurants and read weather reports on their cellphones. Telstra expects to add 1 million new mobile customers over the next three years by offering i-mode, said Ted Pretty, Telstra group managing director. It currently has 10 million cellphone sub-scribers. The Telstra deal is DoCoMo's ninth interna-tional tie-up for i-mode.
■ Music
BMG rebuts merger fears
Bertelsmann and Sony on Wednesday rebutted Euro-pean commission concerns over the proposed merger of their recorded music businesses. Bertelsmann's BMG and Sony Music will outline their case at an oral hearing in Brussels on Monday and Tuesday, with parties opposing the deal also attending. The joint venture, to be called Sony BMG, would create the world's second-largest record group, controlling about 25.2 per cent of the market. Allegations of price collusion in the sale of CDs featured prominently among the commission's concerns. "The commission has found that there is parallelism in the prices of the five major record companies in countries analysed and that the parallelism is likely to be the result of coordination and not of active competi-tion," the commission said.
■ Retailing
Wal-Mart denied zoning
Officials in Decatur, Indiana rejected a zoning change needed for a proposed Wal-Mart supercenter, dealing the retailer a third setback in Indiana in less than a week. Decatur's planning commission voted against changing the zoning for property on which Wal-Mart hopes to build the store. Opponents said rezoning could hurt nearby property values and contribute to a glut of retail in the city. Decatur already has a smaller Wal-Mart without a grocery. The City Council, which still could approve the rezoning, will take up the matter this summer. Walmart ran up against opposition in another Indianapolis suburb, Fishers, and has officials to shelve discussion of an expansion store there.
CELEBRATION: The PRC turned 75 on Oct. 1, but the Republic of China is older. The PRC could never be the homeland of the people of the ROC, Lai said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) could not be the “motherland” of the people of the Republic of China (ROC), President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks in a speech at a Double Ten National Day gala in Taipei, which is part of National Day celebrations that are to culminate in a fireworks display in Yunlin County on Thursday night next week. Lai wished the country a happy birthday and called on attendees to enjoy the performances and activities while keeping in mind that the ROC is a sovereign and independent nation. He appealed for everyone to always love their
‘EXTREME PRESSURE’: Beijing’s goal is to ‘force Taiwan to make mistakes,’ Admiral Tang Hua said, adding that mishaps could serve as ‘excuses’ for launching a blockade China’s authoritarian expansionism threatens not only Taiwan, but the rules-based international order, the navy said yesterday, after its top commander said in an interview that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could blockade the nation at will. The object of Beijing’s expansionist activities is not limited to Taiwan and its use of pressure is not confined to specific political groups or people, the navy said in a statement. China utilizes a mixture of cognitive warfare and “gray zone” military activities to pressure Taiwan, the navy said, adding that PLA sea and air forces are compressing the nation’s defensive depth. The navy continues to
MAKING PROGRESS: Officials and industry leaders who participated in a defense forum last month agreed that Taiwan has the capabilities to work with the US, the report said Taiwan’s high-tech defense industry is to enhance collaboration with the US to produce weapons needed for self-defense, the Ministry of National Defense said in a report to the Legislative Yuan. Deputy Minister of National Defense Hsu Yen-pu (徐衍璞) discussed building regional and global industry alliances with US partners at the US-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference in Philadelphia held from Sept. 22 to Tuesday last week, the ministry said in the declassified portion of the report. The visit contributed to maintaining bilateral ties, facilitated Taiwan’s efforts to acquire weapons and equipment, and strengthened the resilience of the two nation’s defense industries, it said. Taiwan-US ties
CONCERNS: Allowing the government, political parties or the military to own up to 10 percent of a large media firm is a risk Taiwan cannot afford to take, a lawyer said A Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator has proposed amendments to allow the government, political parties and the military to indirectly invest in broadcast media, prompting concerns of potential political interference. Under Article 1 of the Satellite Broadcasting Act (衛星廣播電視法), the government and political parties — as well as foundations established with their endowments, and those commissioned by them — cannot directly or indirectly invest in satellite broadcasting businesses. A similar regulation is in the Cable Radio and Television Act (有線廣播電視法). “The purpose of banning the government, political parties and the military from investing in the media is to prevent them from interfering
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