■ PROCUREMENT
China vows equal treatment
Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday promised to treat foreign firms equally in government procurement, amid growing complaints that China’s business climate has worsened, state media said. “With regard to government purchases and construction projects, the Chinese government will adopt an open, transparent plan to let foreign companies and technological products enjoy equal treatment,” Xi said, according to state-run television. Xi said at an investment forum that China was taking “a serious and responsible attitude” in talks to join the WTO’s Government Procurement Agreement.
■ AUTOMOBILES
Suzuki expanding in India
India’s leading car maker, Japan-owned Maruti Suzuki, said yesterday it would invest ¥35 billion (US$416 million) to build a new factory to meet growing local demand. “We had not estimated the pace at which car demand would grow [in India],” Suzuki Motor Corp chairman Osamu Suzuki said in a speech to Maruti Suzuki shareholders. The new factory will be the third unit at Maruti’s complex in Manesar, Haryana state.
■ BONDS
Barroso suggests EU bond
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso yesterday proposed the creation of a joint European bond to finance major infrastructure projects, an idea not shared by all EU members. “Pooling money at the European level allows [EU] member states to cut their costs, avoid overlaps and get a better return on their investment,” Barroso said in a speech before the European Parliament. “We should also explore new sources of financing for major European infrastructure projects. For instance, I will propose the establishment of EU project bonds, together with the European Investment Bank,” he said.
■ ELECTRONICS
Philips to sell stake to fund
Dutch electronics group Philips yesterday said it would sell its remaining equity stake in chipmaker NXP Semiconductors NV to its underfunded British pension fund. Philips said it would make a cash contribution of 350 million euros (US$448 million) to the pension fund, which the fund would then use to buy the 17 percent of NXP the Dutch firm still owns. The sale will lead to a gain of 140 million euros in the third quarter, Philips said.
■ ELECTRONICS
Samsung mulls Google TV
Samsung Electronics Co, the world’s largest television manufacturer, may manufacture sets run by Google Inc’s software to compete with Sony Corp and Apple Inc in the market for TVs that access movies, shows and games online. “We will have to see, but we are reviewing” whether to use Google’s Android operating system, Yoon Boo-keun, head of Samsung’s TV business, told reporters yesterday on the sidelines of a forum in Seoul. A key question is whether South Korean movie, TV and music providers will cooperate with Google, he said.
■ INTERNET
AOL adds DeGeneres
AOL is adding talk show host Ellen DeGeneres to its family of Web properties as it looks for ways to draw more people to its sites. The firm was to begin sharing traffic, content and promotions with the Web site for The Ellen DeGeneres Show” yesterday. AOL sites such as KitchenDaily.com and Popeater will promote DeGeneres and provide links to her site, and vice versa.
TYPHOON: The storm’s path indicates a high possibility of Krathon making landfall in Pingtung County, depending on when the storm turns north, the CWA said Typhoon Krathon is strengthening and is more likely to make landfall in Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said in a forecast released yesterday afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the CWA’s updated sea warning for Krathon showed that the storm was about 430km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point. It was moving in west-northwest at 9kph, with maximum sustained winds of 119kph and gusts of up to 155kph, CWA data showed. Krathon is expected to move further west before turning north tomorrow, CWA forecaster Wu Wan-hua (伍婉華) said. The CWA’s latest forecast and other countries’ projections of the storm’s path indicate a higher
SLOW-MOVING STORM: The typhoon has started moving north, but at a very slow pace, adding uncertainty to the extent of its impact on the nation Work and classes have been canceled across the nation today because of Typhoon Krathon, with residents in the south advised to brace for winds that could reach force 17 on the Beaufort scale as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecast that the storm would make landfall there. Force 17 wind with speeds of 56.1 to 61.2 meters per second, the highest number on the Beaufort scale, rarely occur and could cause serious damage. Krathon could be the second typhoon to land in southwestern Taiwan, following typhoon Elsie in 1996, CWA records showed. As of 8pm yesterday, the typhoon’s center was 180km
TYPHOON DAY: Taitung, Pingtung, Tainan, Chiayi, Hualien and Kaohsiung canceled work and classes today. The storm is to start moving north this afternoon The outer rim of Typhoon Krathon made landfall in Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) at about noon yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, adding that the eye of the storm was expected to hit land tomorrow. The CWA at 2:30pm yesterday issued a land alert for Krathon after issuing a sea alert on Sunday. It also expanded the scope of the sea alert to include waters north of Taiwan Strait, in addition to its south, from the Bashi Channel to the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島). As of 6pm yesterday, the typhoon’s center was 160km south of
STILL DANGEROUS: The typhoon was expected to weaken, but it would still maintain its structure, with high winds and heavy rain, the weather agency said One person had died amid heavy winds and rain brought by Typhoon Krathon, while 70 were injured and two people were unaccounted for, the Central Emergency Operation Center said yesterday, while work and classes have been canceled nationwide today for the second day. The Hualien County Fire Department said that a man in his 70s had fallen to his death at about 11am on Tuesday while trimming a tree at his home in Shoufeng Township (壽豐). Meanwhile, the Yunlin County Fire Department received a report of a person falling into the sea at about 1pm on Tuesday, but had to suspend search-and-rescue
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