■ Steel
Cross-strait firms pen deal
Wuhan Iron & Steel Group (武鋼), China's third-largest steelmaker, and Taiwan's China Steel Corp (中鋼) have agreed to cooperate in technology development and staff training to compete with rivals such as Nippon Steel Corp. China's State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission said on Thursday that Wuhan Steel and China Steel signed the accord on Monday. The partnership will cover marketing and company management. Japan's Nippon Steel and South Korea's Posco, Asia's two largest steelmakers, said on Sunday they will spend more than US$900 million to boost crossholdings.
■ Oil
Record profit reported
The world's largest company, ExxonMobil Corp, announced record profits for last quarter of US$10.49 billion on Thursday on the back of red-hot oil prices. ExxonMobil said its net profits spiked 26 percent from US$8.30 billion in the same period last year. Earnings per share of US$1.77 for the quarter, up from US$1.32 a year ago, were well above most Wall Street predictions of US$1.58 dollars.ExxonMobil's shares rose, but the political heat on the company mounted as top Democratic lawmakers including Senator Hillary Clinton accused it of squeezing consumers and demanded an end to industry tax breaks.
■ Automobiles
Ford reiterates priorities
Although it's fighting financial troubles, US automaker Ford reiterated its commitment to investing in new products and technology, a senior executive said yesterday. "Despite the difficult times at Ford, we think it's extremely important to invest in the product," said Susan Cischke, vice president overseeing environmental and safety engineering at Ford Motor Co. Cischke said in Tokyo that Ford sees ecological technology as crucial, including more efficient gas engines, hybrids that deliver better mileage, and the more futuristic fuel cell vehicles.
■ Aircraft
Airbus delays delivery
European aircraft manufacturer Airbus will deliver six A380 aircraft to Virgin Atlantic in 2013, a four-year delay, the British company said on Thursday. "Virgin Atlantic has reached an agreement in principle with Airbus to defer deliveries of its Airbus A380 aircraft until 2013," a spokeswoman for the airline told reporters, specifying this represented a delay of four years. "By then, we believe, the A380 will have proven its innovative design over several years in commercial service," she said. At the beginning of October, Airbus announced a third delay for delivery of the super-jumbo, because of persistent manufacturing problems.
■ Energy
Russia probes Sakhalin-2
The Russian Prosecutor General's Office said yesterday it may launch a criminal case over alleged environmental violations at a giant Shell-led energy project, as officials continue to crank up the pressure at the troubled multibillion-dollar development. "The Prosecutor General's Office plans to inspect materials provided by the Natural Resource Ministry on ecological violations during the Sakhalin-2 project," prosecution spokesman Konstantin Nikonov told reporters. "If there are sufficient grounds after this inspection a criminal case will be opened," he said.
A Chinese freighter that allegedly snapped an undersea cable linking Taiwan proper to Penghu County is suspected of being owned by a Chinese state-run company and had docked at the ports of Kaohsiung and Keelung for three months using different names. On Tuesday last week, the Togo-flagged freighter Hong Tai 58 (宏泰58號) and its Chinese crew were detained after the Taipei-Penghu No. 3 submarine cable was severed. When the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) first attempted to detain the ship on grounds of possible sabotage, its crew said the ship’s name was Hong Tai 168, although the Automatic Identification System (AIS)
An Akizuki-class destroyer last month made the first-ever solo transit of a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ship through the Taiwan Strait, Japanese government officials with knowledge of the matter said yesterday. The JS Akizuki carried out a north-to-south transit through the Taiwan Strait on Feb. 5 as it sailed to the South China Sea to participate in a joint exercise with US, Australian and Philippine forces that day. The Japanese destroyer JS Sazanami in September last year made the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s first-ever transit through the Taiwan Strait, but it was joined by vessels from New Zealand and Australia,
SECURITY: The purpose for giving Hong Kong and Macau residents more lenient paths to permanent residency no longer applies due to China’s policies, a source said The government is considering removing an optional path to citizenship for residents from Hong Kong and Macau, and lengthening the terms for permanent residence eligibility, a source said yesterday. In a bid to prevent the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from infiltrating Taiwan through immigration from Hong Kong and Macau, the government could amend immigration laws for residents of the territories who currently receive preferential treatment, an official familiar with the matter speaking on condition of anonymity said. The move was part of “national security-related legislative reform,” they added. Under the amendments, arrivals from the Chinese territories would have to reside in Taiwan for
CRITICAL MOVE: TSMC’s plan to invest another US$100 billion in US chipmaking would boost Taiwan’s competitive edge in the global market, the premier said The government would ensure that the most advanced chipmaking technology stays in Taiwan while assisting Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) in investing overseas, the Presidential Office said yesterday. The statement follows a joint announcement by the world’s largest contract chipmaker and US President Donald Trump on Monday that TSMC would invest an additional US$100 billion over the next four years to expand its semiconductor manufacturing operations in the US, which would include construction of three new chip fabrication plants, two advanced packaging facilities, and a research and development center. The government knew about the deal in advance and would assist, Presidential
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