■ Tourism
Protests scare off tourists
The ongoing anti-Japanese protests in China have been scaring off Japanese tourists in large numbers, with major Japanese tour agents reporting a steep rise in cancellations in recent days. According to a survey by the Yomiuri Shimbun daily, a tourist agency in the Tokyo area that had arranged China tours for 2,300 people in April received 100 cancellations between April 11-13 alone. JTB Tourist Agency, also located in the capital area, received 240 tour cancellations between April 11-14, according to Yomiuri. Japanese airlines have also been affected by concerns over the riots. All Nippon Airways, which offers 118 flights to nine Chinese cities a week, has received 1,300 cancellations for April 1-16.
■ Technology
NEC to up Taiwan orders
NEC Corp may increase orders for information technology products and semiconductors at Taiwan companies by 28 percent to US$32 billion this year, a Chinese-language newspaper reported yesterday. The orders compare with US$25 billion purchased last year, the Taipei-based newspaper said. NEC Chairman Hajime Sasaki will visit Taiwan this month to meet senior government officials and corporate executives, the report said. NEC is Japan's largest mobile-phone maker.
■ Taxes
Manila eyes church books
Tax authorities in the Philippines will examine the books of the powerful Roman Catholic church and other religious organizations to check their tax payments, a newspaper reported yesterday. The move by the Bureau of Internal Revenue is part of the government's campaign to crack down on tax evasion, the Philippine Daily Inquirer cited revenue commissioner Guillermo Parayno as saying. Sales of religious items such as rosaries, as well as land lease revenue and profits from other investments were not exempt from taxation, he said. The Roman Catholic church is a politically influential force in the Philippines, Asia's bastion of Catholicism.
■ Trade
Iran angles for WTO spot
Iran yesterday expressed hope that the country would become a member of the World Trade Organization at the next meeting in May. Hassan Rowhani, National Security Council Secretary, told Khabar news network that so far the US had opposed Iranian WTO membership, but with Washington's revision, Iran should become a WTO member in May. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said last month that the US agreed to drop objections to Teheran's WTO application and could also agree to export spare parts for aircraft to Iran by way of support for the EU efforts to get the country to stop its uranium enrichment program.
■ Media
Buyers eye `Financial Times'
Terry Smith, chief executive of London brokerage Collins Stewart Tullett Plc, is keen to buy the Financial Times newspaper from its owner, UK media group Pearson Plc, the Sunday Times reported. "We would like to be able to organize a buyout of the FT," Smith told the Sunday Times. Other interested parties have contacted Smith to pursue a buyout of the FT, then an initial public offering, he said. A libel case between Collins Stewart and the FT is an obstacle to putting together a buyout package, Smith said, as is opposition by Pearson Chief Executive Officer Marjorie Scardino.
THREATS: Naval facilities have been built in Shanghai and Zhejiang, while airbases have been expanded in Xiamen, Fuzhou and Zhangpu, across the Strait from Taiwan The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is building large-scale military infrastructure at five sites along the eastern coast of China, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in a recent report. The latest issue of the council’s Mainland China Situation Quarterly said satellite photos showed military infrastructure such as air force and naval bases being constructed along the eastern coast of China. That means the CCP might be preparing for potential conflict in Taiwan, it said, adding that there are five such construction sites from north to south. A naval base has been built in Shanghai’s Pudong New Area, with underground oil storage tanks, railway
MILESTONE: The foreign minister called the signing ‘a major step forward in US-Taiwan relations,’ while the Presidential Office said it was a symbol of the nations’ shared values US President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed into law the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, which requires the US Department of State to regularly review and update guidelines governing official US interactions with Taiwan. The new law is an amendment to the Taiwan Assurance Act of 2020 focused on reviewing guidelines on US interactions with Taiwan. Previously, the state department was required to conduct a one-time review of its guidance governing relations with Taiwan, but under the new bill, the agency must conduct a review “not less than every five years.” It must then submit an updated report based on its findings “not later
GIVE BACK: The president thanked immigrants, recounting heartwarming stories, from a gymnast helping athletes shine internationally to a spouse helping the disadvantaged There is no need to amend the law to exempt Chinese spouses from single allegiance to the Republic of China (ROC), President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that such changes would only increase the public’s doubts toward new residents from China and would not improve social harmony. Taiwan is a democratic, diverse and free country, he said. “No matter which ethnic group you belong to, where you come from or when you arrive, as long as you identify with Taiwan, you are masters of this country,” he said. Taiwan is a democratic nation that follows the rule of law, where immigrants are
A trial run of the north concourse of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s new Terminal 3 is to commence today, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The eight additional boarding gates would allow for more aircraft parking spaces that are expected to boost the airport’s capacity by 5.8 million passengers annually, Deputy Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Kuo-shian (林國顯) said. The concourse, designed by a team led by British architect Richard Rogers, provides a refreshing space, Lin said, adding that travelers would enjoy the tall and transparent design that allows sunshine to stream into the concourse through glass curtain walls. The
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