■TRADE
China, US tensions grow
China said yesterday it would impose preliminary tariffs on a variety of US chicken products it claims receive government subsidies as trade tensions grow between the two sides. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce said importers of US broiler chicken products would have to pay deposits based on the alleged US government subsidy rates of 3.8 percent to 31.4 percent of the import price. Chinese customs authorities will start collecting the deposits from tomorrow.
■SEMICONDUCTORS
Infineon returns to profit
German semiconductor maker Infineon Technologies AG said that improving growth and demand from automakers, chip card and security providers has put the company back into profitability. The company yesterday reported a net profit of 79 million euros (US$105 million) in the first quarter, compared with a loss of 258 million euros a year earlier. Revenues rose 55 percent to just over 1.03 billion euros, compared with 669 million euros last year.
■MEDIA
DreamWorks’ profit down
DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc on Tuesday reported first-quarter profits that beat expectations and announced a sequel to its latest blockbuster, How to Train Your Dragon. Net income in the first quarter fell 65 percent from a year ago to US$22 million, or US$0.24 per share, mainly because the movie studio lacked a major home video release at the start of this year. DreamWorks’ revenue in the first quarter fell 38 percent to US$162 million from US$264 million.
■ELECTRONICS
LG back in the black
LG Electronics, a top manufacturer of flat-screen televisions and mobile phones, booked a net profit in the first quarter amid higher sales and an earnings contribution from flat-panel maker LG Display. LG Electronics earned 675 billion won (US$605 million) in the first three months of the year, compared with a net loss of 200 billion won in the same period last year. Sales in the first quarter rose 3.7 percent to 13.7 trillion won from 13.2 trillion won a year earlier.
■AUSTRALIA
CPI higher than expected
Inflation rose slightly ahead of forecasts in the first quarter of the year, the Bureau of Statistics said, climbing to 2.9 percent year-on-year and stoking speculation of a new interest rate rise. The consumer price index (CPI) rose 0.9 percent for the first three months of the year, beating the predicted 0.8 percent increase.
■SEMICONDUCTORS
Broadcom beats forecasts
Broadcom Corp’s quarterly results and outlook raced past Wall Street expectations on improving demand for its chips, used in smartphones such as Apple Inc’s iPhone. The maker of semiconductors for an array of products, including set-top boxes and office network equipment, said sales to businesses were strong and it was ramping up chip sales to handset maker Nokia. It said second-quarter revenue would range from US$1.535 billion to US$1.635 billion.
■TELECOMS
Google drops Verizon plan
Google has dropped plans to offer its Nexus One smartphone on the network of Verizon Wireless, the biggest US wireless carrier, in an apparent setback for its mobile phone market expansion. Google did not offer an explanation for the move. Google worked with Taiwan’s HTC (宏達電) to make the Nexus One.
‘CROWN JEWEL’: Washington ‘can delay and deter’ Chinese President Xi Jinping’s plans for Taiwan, but it is ‘a very delicate situation there,’ the secretary of state said US President Donald Trump is opposed to any change to Taiwan’s “status quo” by force or extortion and would maintain that policy, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the Hugh Hewitt Show host on Wednesday. The US’ policy is to maintain Taiwan’s “status quo” and to oppose any changes in the situation by force or extortion, Rubio said. Hewitt asked Rubio about the significance of Trump earlier this month speaking with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電) chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) at the White House, a meeting that Hewitt described as a “big deal.” Asked whether the meeting was an indication of the
‘RELATIVELY STRONG LANGUAGE’: An expert said the state department has not softened its language on China and was ‘probably a little more Taiwan supportive’ China’s latest drills near Taiwan on Monday were “brazen and irresponsible threats,” a US Department of State spokesperson said on Tuesday, while reiterating Washington’s decades-long support of Taipei. “China cannot credibly claim to be a ‘force for stability in a turbulent world’ while issuing brazen and irresponsible threats toward Taiwan,” the unnamed spokesperson said in an e-mailed response to media queries. Washington’s enduring commitment to Taiwan will continue as it has for 45 years and the US “will continue to support Taiwan in the face of China’s military, economic, informational and diplomatic pressure campaign,” the e-mail said. “Alongside our international partners, we firmly
KAOHSIUNG CEREMONY: The contract chipmaker is planning to build 5 fabs in the southern city to gradually expand its 2-nanometer chip capacity Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s biggest contract chipmaker, yesterday confirmed that it plans to hold a ceremony on March 31 to unveil a capacity expansion plan for its most advanced 2-nanometer chips in Kaohsiung, demonstrating its commitment to further investment at home. The ceremony is to be hosted by TSMC cochief operating officer Y.P. Chyn (秦永沛). It did not disclose whether Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) and high-ranking government officials would attend the ceremony. More details are to be released next week, it said. The chipmaker’s latest move came after its announcement earlier this month of an additional US$100 billion
Authorities yesterday elaborated on the rules governing Employment Gold Cards after a US cardholder was barred from entering Taiwan for six years after working without a permit during a 2023 visit. American YouTuber LeLe Farley was barred after already being approved for an Employment Gold Card, he said in a video published on his channel on Saturday. Farley, who has more than 420,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel, was approved for his Gold Card last month, but was told at a check-in counter at the Los Angeles International Airport that he could not enter Taiwan. That was because he previously participated in two
RSS