Tue, Dec 15, 2020
The Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) yesterday said it would lower the application thresholds for employment gold cards, in a bid to attract foreign professionals with top financial certifications, senior-level executives at financial companies or those who have worked in financial technology or e-commerce. The employment gold card is a four-in-one work permit, residence visa, Alien Resident Certificate and re-entry permit, applicable to foreign professionals in eight fields: science and technology, economics, education, culture, arts, sports, finance and architecture, according to the National Immigration Agency. The FSC, which is responsible for setting the qualifications for foreign professionals with financial expertise, said it would relax the Requirements and Determination Principles for Foreign Special Professionals with Financial Expertise (外國特定專業人才具有金融領域特殊專長之資格條件及認定原則) to attract more financial experts. Foreigners who hold top financial certifications such as chartered financial analyst, certified financial planner or financial risk manager, and have served at managerial posts at local or overseas financial institutions for at least three years — instead of the current five — would be able to apply for the gold cards, the commission said in a statement. Foreigners who have served in top-level positions, such as chairperson, president, board member or senior management at a local or foreign financial company for more than five years, instead of the previous requirement of 10 years, would be eligible, the commission said. The former group refers to those who possess special expertise and serve at positions that are not easily replaceable, such as actuaries, so they do not need many years of experience to qualify as professionals, while it should not be difficult for people in the latter group, or heads of international companies, to accumulate five years of experience, an FSC official surnamed Huang (黃) said by telephone. “With the nation’s capital market and financial industry becoming more international, it is important for us to encourage
The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday confirmed four imported cases of COVID-19 in people who had all provided negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test results within three days before boarding a plane to Taiwan, but tested positive after completing 14 days of quarantine. One is a Filipina worker in her 20s who arrived on Nov. 26, had no symptoms and was quarantined in a hotel until Friday, said Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥), who is also the CECC spokesman. The woman took a paid test on Saturday, which came back positive yesterday, he said, adding that 10 people who joined her for a meal while she was waiting for the result are isolating at home. Another case is a Filipino worker in his 20s who arrived on Nov. 20, did not show any symptoms and tested negative when he finished his quarantine at a centralized facility on Dec. 3, he said. The man practiced seven days of self-health management and took another paid test on Saturday, which came back positive yesterday, he said. The third is an Indonesian fisherman who arrived on Nov. 26, showed no symptoms and stayed in a quarantine hotel until Thursday, but tested positive in a paid test on Friday, Chuang said. Nine people who took the same vehicle to the hospital as the fisher without wearing a mask are isolating at home, he added. The fourth is an Indonesian worker in her 40s who arrived on Nov. 19, showed no symptoms and stayed at a centralized quarantine facility, Chuang said. She tested negative twice in an extended testing project on Nov. 28 and before ending quarantine on Dec. 2. The woman stayed in a dormitory from Dec. 4, moved to a residential unit on Monday last week and was asked by her employer to take a
RUSSIA? Moscow rejected speculation that it was behind the campaign and accused the US of ‘unfoundedly blaming the Russians for everything’ US government agencies have been ordered to scour their networks for malware and disconnect potentially compromised servers after authorities learned that the treasury and commerce departments were hacked in a months-long global cyberespionage campaign discovered when a prominent cybersecurity firm learned it had been breached. In a rare emergency directive issued late on Sunday, the US Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) cybersecurity arm warned of an “unacceptable risk” to the executive branch from a feared large-scale penetration of US government agencies that could date back to mid-year or earlier. “This can turn into one of the most impactful espionage campaigns on record,” cybersecurity expert Dmitri Alperovitch said. The hacked cybersecurity company, FireEye, would not say who it suspected — many experts believe the operation is Russian given the careful tradecraft — and noted that foreign governments and major corporations were also compromised. News of the hacks, first reported by Reuters, came less than a week after FireEye disclosed that nation-state hackers had broken into its network and stolen the company’s own hacking tools. The apparent conduit for the treasury and commerce department hacks — and the FireEye compromise — is a hugely popular piece of server software called SolarWinds. It is used by hundreds of thousands of organizations globally, including most Fortune 500 companies and multiple US federal agencies, which would now be scrambling to patch up their networks, said Alperovitch, the former chief technical officer of the cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike. The DHS directive said that US agencies should immediately disconnect or power down any machines running the impacted SolarWinds software. FireEye, without naming any specific targets, said in a blog post that its investigation into the hack of its own network had identified “a global campaign” targeting governments and the private sector that, beginning in the spring, had slipped malware into a SolarWinds
EU negotiator Michel Barnier yesterday said there was a “narrow path” to a post-Brexit trade deal with the UK, as key sticking points remain after both sides abandoned a supposed make-or-break deadline. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday pledged to “go the extra mile” as they sidestepped a self-imposed cutoff point to end talks if there was no progress toward a pact. Johnson said it remains “most likely” that the UK would crash out of the globe’s largest single market on WTO terms by year’s end as the two sides spar over regulating future standards and fishing. However, Von der Leyen yesterday said: “There is movement. That is good.” “We are on the very last mile to go, but it is an essential one,” she told a conference organized by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. An EU diplomat said following a briefing from Barnier that “there might now be a narrow path to an agreement visible — negotiators can clear the remaining hurdles in the next few days.” “There has been some progress in the negotiations over the last few days, but — sometimes substantial — gaps still need to be bridged in important areas like fisheries, governance and level playing field,” the diplomat said. An EU source said there had been “fragile” progress. The source said there had been steps toward determining a mechanism to regulate future divergences in standards, but that there were seriously blockages “on all fronts” on the issue of fishing rights. “If there is progress on fishing, then we could have an agreement in the coming days,” the official said. Barnier was to sit down yesterday in Brussels with his British counterpart, David Frost, for the latest round of talks aimed at thrashings out a deal
CREDIBILITY CONCERNS: The CECC aims to ask the representative office in Indonesia to find certified local facilities where migrants could be required to obtain test reports The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported three cases of COVID-19, all Indonesians, while saying that it is considering whether Indonesian migrant workers should be conditionally granted entry into Taiwan again. Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥), the CECC’s spokesman, said that case No. 735 is a man in his 20s, who came to work as a ship crew member on Nov. 24, and he provided a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test result from within three days of his flight to Taiwan. The man did not have any symptoms, but tested positive in a paid test on Thursday after ending quarantine at a hotel, Chuang told a news conference. The second case, a migrant worker in her 20s, arrived on Nov. 28, provided a negative PCR test result, tested negative again in an extended testing project on Dec. 4, but she experienced bloating and vomiting on Thursday, Chuang said. The woman — case No. 736 — was tested on Friday before completing centralized quarantine, and the result came back positive, with a low cycle threshold value (CT-value) of 27, indicating a recent infection, he said. The third case is a migrant worker in her 30s, who came to Taiwan on Nov. 25 and tested negative on Nov. 23, but did not provide the report, he said. Chuang said that the woman — case No. 737 — did not have any symptoms and tested negative twice on Nov. 28 and on Tuesday while in centralized quarantine, but she later tested positive in a paid test on Thursday. Asked if the CECC is capable of verifying the authenticity of foreign PCR test result reports, Chuang said that it would work toward asking the representative office in Indonesia to find several testing facilities certified by the local authority, and require migrant workers to provide test
The EU has urged China to release all journalists and citizens held in connection with their reporting, following the detention of a Bloomberg News employee. Haze Fan (范若伊), a Chinese citizen, was taken from her home by plainclothes security officials on Monday last week, Bloomberg said, and Beijing said that she had been detained on suspicion of endangering national security. “All those arrested and detained in connection with their reporting activity should be immediately released,” an EU spokesperson said in a statement on Saturday. The statement mentioned that “other Chinese journalists or citizens have disappeared this year, or been detained or harassed after engaging in reporting.” “We expect the Chinese authorities to grant her [Fan] medical assistance if needed, prompt access to a lawyer of her choice and contacts with her family,” it added. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs earlier said that Fan’s case was under investigation. Bloomberg said that it was “very concerned for her” and was seeking more information. Chinese citizens are forbidden by the government from working as reporters for foreign news organizations in China, but are allowed to work as news assistants. Fan, who joined Bloomberg in 2017, has been credited as a contributor on numerous business stories. Her detention came months after China held a high-profile Chinese-born Australian journalist, citing similar suspicions. Cheng Lei (成蕾), a TV anchor at Chinese state-owned outlet China Global Television Network, has not been seen in public since being held. Two other Australian reporters — Bill Birtles and Michael Smith — fled China shortly after being interrogated about Cheng. Separately, Bank of China Ltd (中國銀行) has closed the account of Tang Kai-yin (鄧棨然), one of 12 Hong Kong fugitives detained in China, the South China Morning Post reported. The bank wrote in a letter that it had made the move for “commercial and administrative reasons,” the paper quoted Tang’s brother as
‘COMPETITOR’: US president-elect Joe Biden might center his foreign policy on cooperation with Indo-Pacific allies to stem the expansion of Chinese influence US president-elect Joe Biden is likely to pursue a softer policy on China, focusing on cybersecurity and information technology challenges, as opposed to the “hard containment” direction favored by US President Donald Trump, an academic said yesterday. At a seminar hosted by the Prospect Foundation in Taipei, Academia Sinica Institute of European and American Studies research fellow Lin Cheng-yi (林正義) and others shared their predictions for US policy in the Indo-Pacific region under the Biden administration. Biden would likely maintain the current administration’s definition of China as a “strategic competitor,” Lin said. Foundation chairman and former minister of foreign affairs Mark Chen (陳唐山) said there is concern as to whether the next administration would continue the current policy direction toward Taiwan. Foundation executive director Lai I-chung (賴怡忠) said that many Taiwanese Trump supporters are focusing on his claims of election fraud, but Taiwan should look to see how its neighbors are responding. This includes China, which is not waiting to make moves, he said. Lin said that Biden’s continued use of the phrase “Indo-Pacific” signals a fundamental continuation of Trump’s “free and open Indo-Pacific” strategy with a focus on China, even while changing the phrasing. Although Biden would likely keep the economic tools established under Trump’s policy, many challenges remain, he added. Biden is to face internal pressure from the Democratic Party to reduce defense spending, coupled with lowering the frequency of troop deployments to the South China Sea, Lin said. Lu Chun-wei (盧俊偉), a researcher at the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research, said that from an economic perspective, the problems facing China and the US are structural. Biden is to be tasked with maintaining manufacturing growth, but the landscape remains unclear, Lu said, adding that economic relations in the Asia-Pacific region are complex and cannot be decided by a single factor. The US would technically have no problem rejoining the
Prosecutors have closed the first phase of judicial proceedings in a duty-free cigarette scandal from last year, in which 77 people charged received deferred prosecutions. Ahead of official state visits to the Caribbean by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) in July last year, National Security Bureau (NSB) officials took advantage of streamlined customs clearance to order duty-free cigarettes before the trip, most of which were stored in a warehouse at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport belonging to China Pacific Catering Services, a firm affiliated with China Airlines. The Taiwan High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday upheld the “deferred prosecution” verdict for a third group of suspects handed down last month by the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office, as all those who were indicted had admitted to wrongdoing. The highest-ranking official among those charged was NSB Major General Chen Yi-fu (陳逸夫), who headed the security teams responsible for the personal safety of the president and vice president at their official residences, the Presidential Office Building and when traveling on official functions. For buying 40 cartons of duty-free cigarettes, prosecutors ordered Chen to pay NT$25,000 to the national treasury and to attend six hours of legal education classes. The other 76 people charged were mostly NSB and military personnel involved in security duties, together with their family members and friends. For profiting by circumventing paying tax on the cigarettes, they were ordered to pay fines ranging from NT$5,000 to NT$200,000 depending on the number of cartons purchased. The deferred prosecution does not include a separate group of 13 defendants who are said to have played the principal roles in the scandal. They have been indicted for corruption and tax evasion for contravening the Tax Collection Act (稅捐稽徵法) and the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例). Two high-ranking NSB officers — Wu Tsung-hsien (吳宗憲) and Chang Heng-chia (張恒嘉) — are among that group, as well as former China Airlines chartered
FREEDOM OF SPEECH: Rather than reflecting on the public outcry over CTi News having its license revoked, the government is doubling down, Alicia Wang said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday accused the government of attempting to control free speech on the Internet with its plans for an over-the-top media services management act. While the National Communications Commission’s (NCC) draft version of the act would allow over-the-top media service providers to register on what the NCC has described as a “voluntary” basis, under the same act, the agency could also require mandatory registration of providers based on measures such as their number of users, revenue, amount of traffic or market influence, or for some other major public interest, the KMT said. The draft act proposes a fine of up to NT$1 million (US$35,149) for those who do not register as requested, with the possibility of further fines, the party said. Article 13 of the draft act states that if the NCC determines that a provider’s content is “harming national security,” or “harming public order or good morals,” the provider could be fined up to NT$1 million if corrections are not made within a specified time frame, with the possibility of further fines, the KMT added. The proposed act would allow the government to “suppress people’s comments on the Internet,” KMT Institute of Revolutionary Practice director and Taipei City Councilor Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) said at a news conference in Taipei. The KMT said that if the act proposed by the NCC is implemented, “in the future, there will be no freedom of speech in Taiwan.” KMT Culture and Communications Committee director-general Alicia Wang (王育敏) said the government should not “test the public’s limits,” as there continues to be some anger about the removal on Saturday of CTi News after the NCC rejected the channel’s application to renew its broadcasting license. “The anger has turned into support,” she said, citing an increase in subscribers to CTi News’ YouTube channel to more than 2 million. Instead
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday extended her condolences on the passing of Eswatini Prime Minister Ambrose Dlamini, who died in a South African hospital on Sunday aged 52. “Their majesties have commanded that I inform the nation of the sad and untimely passing away of His Excellency the Prime Minister Ambrose Mandvulo Dlamini,” Eswatini Deputy Prime Minister Themba Masuku said on Sunday. Dlamini “passed on this afternoon while under medical care in a hospital in South Africa,” Masuku said, without detailing the cause of death. Dlamini had announced in the middle of last month that he had tested positive for COVID-19, but said that he felt well and was asymptomatic. He was hospitalized in South Africa earlier this month. Dlamini was named prime minister in October 2018. In a statement issued yesterday by Presidential Office spokesman Xavier Chang (張惇涵), Tsai remembered Dlamini as a respected political leader who firmly supported Taiwan’s participation in international organizations. Tsai has instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Eswatini embassy to convey Taiwan’s condolences to the government and people of Eswatini, the statement said. Eswatini is Taiwan’s only diplomatic ally in Africa. Formerly known as Swaziland, Eswatini has reported more than 6,700 COVID-19 cases and 127 deaths among its population of 1.2 million people. Additional reporting by AFP
The Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday accused the government of using the Control Yuan for political persecution. The remarks followed the Control Yuan requesting a judicial investigation of Control Yuan member Kao Yung-cheng (高涌誠) and former member Chang Wu-shou (張武修) after allegations that they leaked videos to the Taiwan Solidarity Union of Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) being interviewed over 2014 allegations of “organ harvesting.” The videos were recordings of Ko being questioned by Control Yuan members after allegations made by US author Ethan Gutmann that Ko had participated in harvesting organs of members of Falun Gong in China. The TPP in a statement said that it strongly condemned the leaking of the videos of Ko, who is chairman of the party. Since Kao and Chang were both nominated by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), the TPP accused the Control Yuan of becoming a “secret government body” used to suppress dissent by opposition party members. “Through this incident, the public has lost faith in both the Control Yuan and the government,” the TPP said. “Control Yuan President Chen Chu (陳菊) must take responsibility, explain the reasons for the leak and the intention of doing so.” “If negligence by Control Yuan members is uncovered then Chen must make a public apology, or else people will see that the Control Yuan is acting to suppress political dissidents,” it said. “We also demand that the judiciary form a task force to investigate. It is most ironic that the Control Yuan recently set up the National Human Rights Commission [NHRC] and then this case happens.” “The Democratic Progressive Party is using the apparatus of government to violate personal rights. This shows that the NHRC is just a facade, which duplicates the work of other agencies. We urge an internal investigation and that Kao, who is also NHRC deputy commissioner, resign from this
HELPING HAND: The Cabinet would first have to approve the NT$25 billion proposal, but an earlier NT$50 billion package for the industry has almost been depleted The Ministry of Transportation and Communications is proposing to offer an additional NT$25 billion (US$878.73 million) in loans to business operators in the aviation industry as the nation’s borders remain virtually closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) yesterday announced the plan in his opening address at a forum on the development of the logistics industry in the post-pandemic era. In April, the ministry secured NT$50 billion to offer airlines, ground handling service operators and catering providers for airlines as loans or interest subsidies. Asked about the new plan, Lin told reporters that the fund would provide loans to operators in the aviation industry, as their businesses are expected to continue to suffer next year because of the pandemic. The ministry proposed the plan to the Executive Yuan last week, he said. The ministry is also proposing to extend the subsidy program to compensate salaries of workers at international airports until the first half of next year, he said. Lin said that part of the funding for the new plan would come from the ministry, while the rest would come from interdepartmental funding allocated through the relief fund packages. “We hope to coordinate with other government agencies on this matter, as some of them have yet to use up relief funds in certain categories that were allocated to them through the Executive Yuan’s relief fund packages,” Lin said. Ministry officials said that the NT$50 billion package for the aviation industry has nearly been depleted. As the government has yet to lift restrictions at the nation’s borders and international flight carriers are still sustaining financial losses, the ministry proposed the additional NT$25 billion in loans, they said. Aviation business operators could start filing applications for loans once the Executive Yuan approves the ministry’s proposal, they said, adding
UNCONVINCING: The city government sent back a safety report from the Taipei Department of Rapid Transit Systems, saying that it needed improvements Commercial operations on Taichung’s first MRT rail line would not begin as scheduled on Saturday, Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) said yesterday. The MRT system’s Green Line began trial runs on Nov. 16, but they were suspended because of a major malfunction on one of the trains at the Taichung High Speed Rail Station terminal on Nov. 21. After an investigation, the train’s Japanese manufacturer, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, said that a US-made coupling connecting the two-carriage train had broken, the MRT system’s operator, Taichung Mass Rapid Transit Corp said. The Taipei Department of Rapid Transit Systems, which is responsible for developing the Taichung MRT system, and Kawasaki Heavy Industries were asked to conduct a comprehensive inspection on all 18 MRT trains to be used on the system. After receiving a report on the inspection results and problem-solving measures on Friday and holding a meeting with experts, the Taichung City Government postponed the formal launch of the MRT line, Lu said. Although the department and Kawasaki Heavy Industries have found the cause of the problem and submitted a repair schedule, the city government believes the reason for the breakdown has yet to be conclusively determined and the schedule is overly optimistic, Lu said. For safety’s sake, the city government decided to postpone the launch, she added. Lu apologized to Taichung residents for having to make the decision, saying the city government would establish an MRT malfunction review committee made up of experts to help handle the matter more objectively and efficiently. The city government has sent back a report from the department, requesting further improvements and would seek compensation from the department, Lu said. Meanwhile, Taichung Transportation Bureau Director-General Yeh Chao-fu (葉昭甫) said that as the broken coupling did not conform to design standards, the city government had initially asked the department and the
Two-way operations on a single Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) track between Rueifang (瑞芳) and Houtong (猴硐) stations in New Taipei City partially resumed yesterday for the first time since a massive landslide on Nov. 4. The agency managed to clear the debris on the east mainline of the track by 9pm on Sunday. The first train to travel through the section since the landslide arrived at Houtong Railway Station at 5:17am and was greeted by Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), who was waiting on the platform. He distributed some money to the construction crew as a reward for their hard work. “Our construction crew managed to achieve the goal despite inclement weather conditions over the past 10 days, removing more than 10,000m3 of debris,” he said. Lin said it would take more than one-and-a-half months to fix the west mainline, but the Ministry of Transportation and Communications would use the time to find ways to reinforce side slopes and study the possibility of building a rock shed. Reopening only the east mainline would not severely affect operations, as long as trains are properly deployed, he said. Trains operating through the damaged section of the line must observe a 40kph speed limit, and the TRA has installed monitoring instruments along the line to ensure the safety of train operations, Lin said. The TRA yesterday canceled five train services that had been scheduled to travel through the section, but all services are expected to resume today, he said. The TRA is reviewing guidelines governing the maintenance of side slopes, and would adopt stricter standards to monitor and inspect side slopes to ensure the safety at some key sections, Lin added.
COMIC FUROR: The Cabinet’s tax ID number was printed on the receipt, as a staffer had told the shop to do so, but to avoid any misunderstanding, it would be exchanged The Taiwan Comic Base yesterday said that Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) did not give a tax identification (ID) number when making a purchase at its comics shop on Sunday, after accusations that he was going to claim reimbursement for a personal purchase. The Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA) in a statement on Sunday said that Su had toured the four-story Taiwan Comic Base in Taipei earlier in the day to support original comics from Taiwan and to encourage culture-related spending. During he visit, Su purchased several comic books and a postcard for his granddaughter using Triple Stimulus Vouchers, the agency said. However, news footage from Su’s visit showed that the Executive Yuan’s tax ID number was displayed on the cash register during the transaction, leading some people to ask whether he was going to claim reimbursement for the purchase. The Taiwan Comic Base yesterday said that Su did not give a tax ID number, but the number had been printed on the receipt because an Executive Yuan staff member had informed the shop to do so during preparations for Su’s visit. The Taiwan Comic Base added that if the receipt needed to be replaced, it would assist in doing so when the store opens today. Executive Yuan Secretary-General Li Meng-yen (李孟諺) on Sunday said the books that Su purchased for his granddaughter totaled NT$3,010, NT$3,000 of which was paid for with the vouchers. The remaining NT$10 Li lent to Su, Li added. The purchase was not made from Su’s special allowance or any other official budget, Li said. An employee in the public relations department provided the Executive Yuan’s information to the shop in advance, Li said, adding that news footage shows that Su was not asked during the purchase whether the tax ID number should be included, and that he was unaware of the information on the receipt. To
TUMULTUOUS YEAR: A strengthening NT dollar poses additional challenges to firms already contending with the pandemic and US-China trade tensions, it said A trade group yesterday called on the government to stabilize the local currency, saying a strong New Taiwan dollar against its US counterpart would erode corporate profitability and undermine the nation’s exports. Taipei-based Chinese National Association of Industry and Commerce (CNAIC, 工商協進會) chairman Lin Por-fong (林伯豐) pleaded with policymakers to give serious thought to the health of local enterprises while they seek to avoid currency manipulation charges from the US. “A strong NT dollar could deal a heavy blow to local exports if it appreciates above the NT$27 level in Taipei against the greenback,” Lin told reporters on the sidelines of a public function. The local currency yesterday closed virtually flat at a 23-year high of NT$28.45 against the US dollar, smashing the NT$28.5 defense reportedly set by former central bank governor Perng Fai-nan (彭淮南). Currency analysts have forecast a continued upturn as the US Federal Reserve’s money-printing policy would keep the US dollar soft, while Taiwan’s economic recovery and vibrant exports attract capital inflows. The trend bodes ill for local exporters, many of which have incurred foreign-exchange losses and might lose orders to regional rivals, aided by favorable tariff rates following the signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) on Nov. 15, Lin said. The trade bloc consists of 15 Asia-Pacific members — including ASEAN nations, Australia, China and New Zealand — that account for nearly 30 percent of the global population and GDP. This year is already characterized by turbulence due to the COVID-19 pandemic, US-China trade tensions, the US presidential elections, financial market volatility and the RCEP exclusion, Lin said, adding that a strengthening NT dollar is posing an additional challenge to corporate operations. While currencies in Malaysia, Thailand and other countries are also picking up, their pace is not as steep as that of the NT dollar, Lin said. As of yesterday, the NT
The output value of Taiwan’s printed circuit board (PCB) industry is expected to reach a record high this year, despite the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Taiwan Printed Circuit Association (TPCA) said yesterday. The PCB industry had “no reason to be optimistic about 2020 at the beginning of the year,” the association said in a report. “But fortunately, the 5G early-stage infrastructure and carrier applications filled the gap caused by the pandemic in a timely manner, further promoting PCB price and value.” Predicting that the industry’s factory utilization rate in the fourth quarter would stay “at a high level,” the association said it expects this year’s annual output value of the industry would reach NT$678.5 billion (US$23.85 billion), which would be a “new high,” the report said. The PCB output value of Taiwanese companies with operations in Taiwan and China hit NT$185 billion in the third quarter, which was relatively flat compared with the same quarter last year, the report said. However, if accounting for exchange rate volatility in the New Taiwan dollar, the output value would have been 6 percent higher in the third quarter year-on-year, it said. The association said in a statement that it credited 5G-related demand for “enabling Taiwan’s PCB industry to maintain its output value, despite the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.” That also came as many Taiwanese businesses were returning home to invest or expand production in light of rising demand for high-end 5G products, the association said. Taiwanese companies with operations in China have slightly lost ground in the third quarter, it said. “The overall performance of Taiwanese companies [with domestic operations] has been better than that of Taiwanese companies in China,” the association said. China operations accounted for 62.5 percent of Taiwanese PCB makers’ total output in the third quarter, down 1 percent from the previous quarter, it said. IC substrates
HEAVY TOLL: A source said Wistron would close the Karnataka site for two weeks and shift production of the iPhone to its other plants in India and China A riot on Saturday at a Wistron Corp (緯創) plant in India resulted in estimated losses of 4.37 billion rupees or almost NT$1.7 billion (US$59.75 million), Indian media reported. The Times of India yesterday reported that the preliminary estimate of losses included thousands of iPhones stolen during the riot. Wistron would suspend operations at the iPhone factory in Karnataka state for two weeks, a source familiar with the incident said. Because the incident occurred before the peak Christmas season, Wistron’s losses could exceed the preliminary estimate, the source added. About 2,000 workers at Wistron’s Narasapura factory, became enraged after the night shift, apparently over pay cuts, destroying furniture and factory assembly units, according to Indian media, which said there were even attempts to set fire to vehicles on site. The Times of India on Sunday reported that the employees were angry because they were not being paid the wages they agreed upon when they were recruited. A Wistron representative later confirmed that some office furniture at the factory was damaged, but equipment on the main assembly lines and in the warehouses remains intact. Indian police have arrested about 130 people in relation to the incident, sources said. Wistron on Sunday said the riot at the plant in Narasapura was caused by unidentified outside instigators who broke into the factory and sabotaged the facility, adding that the company would work with authorities and police to investigate the incident. Karnataka Minister of Labor Shivaram Hebbar told Indian news media on Sunday that the disputes about labor contracts between Wistron and its workers has dragged on for more than three months. Wistron’s production lines in India have long been dedicated to assembling more affordable iPhones, with the iPhone SE accounting for the majority of production, and starting in the second half of this year they have rolled out smaller iPhone 12 models, local
While nearly every industry has been gasping for air under the weight of the COVID-19 pandemic, none has been hit harder than tourism. From April to September last year, the nation welcomed 5.89 million visitors, Tourism Bureau figures show. So far this year, the number plummeted to just 66,190 visitors, leaving many tourism businesses anxiously awaiting a coronavirus-free future. In the meantime, some nations are finding a loophole in the advent of remote work. As the pandemic has necessitated a move to cyberspace, people are realizing that they do not need to live close to work — or even in the same country as their employers are based. Tourism-reliant nations, eyeing these newly untethered workers, have begun offering special visas that make it easier for people to stay longer without being employed at a local company. The pitch certainly sounds appealing. Caribbean nations such as Barbados, the Bahamas and, most recently, Anguilla, are luring applicants with the promise of making their beach paradise Zoom backgrounds real, while Estonia is offering the EU’s first “Digital Nomad Visa” to complement freelance visas in the Czech Republic, Germany and Spain. Most of these plans require proof of a minimum monthly salary ranging from US$2,000 for Georgia’s visa to US$5,000 for Dubai’s one-year “virtual working program.” Some countries make it easy for people to bring their dependents — for an extra fee. Applicants to the Barbados Welcome Stamp program are required to pay US$2,000 up front, or US$3,000 for a “family bundle.” Remote work is sure to stick around even after the pandemic ends. Taiwan might consider getting its foot in the door early by offering a specialized visa to attract this new class of long-term travelers. The nation’s resounding success in containing COVID-19 has already piqued interest among people abroad and those already in Taiwan looking for a safe place
If US President Donald Trump’s remaining days as president — his successor, US president-elect Joe Biden, formally takes over on Jan. 20 — are viewed as a lame-duck period, the outgoing president could use this transition period to vigorously reinforce the US’ commitment to support Taiwan if China ever attacked it. After all, Trump’s predecessors also used their final weeks in office to do the things they were unable to do in the thick of the presidency because of pressures. The last few weeks of a president’s term — Trump had not conceded as of the middle of this month and was legally challenging Biden’s election victory in US courts — provide them a rare opportunity to pardon people who have run afoul of the law or committed transgressions and even crimes. They also have the power to correct foreign policy aberrations, inconsistencies and weaknesses. Although he is not expected to nullify or overturn Washington’s “one China” policy, Trump can, at least, strengthen Taiwan’s position by removing ambiguities in Washington’s commitment to support Taiwan if it is ever attacked by China. Taiwan faces tensions and encroachments of its sovereign territory on an almost daily basis by China’s military planes, which violate its air space, while Chinese warships enter its waters frequently. Notwithstanding the threats Taiwan faces from China, the latter actually sees itself threatened by democratic Taiwan. “It’s an unwelcome feeling for authoritarian and communist China to see a vibrant democracy like Taiwan with all the liberties and freedoms existing right at its doorstep. China fears that its citizens could possibly be influenced by Taiwan’s democratic values and ideals, and tries to block its citizens from getting too much exposure to Taiwan’s liberal and democratic values,” said a US expert on China, speaking on condition of anonymity. To ensure its own
A temple festival held by the Monga Qingshan Temple (艋舺青山宮) in Taipei’s Wanhua District (萬華) this month went on for three days, with firecrackers being set off even in the middle of the night. Noisy crowds, street pollution, bloody fights, a building set alight by fireworks and even an alleged kidnapping caused a great deal of resentment among locals who were not among the worshipers. More than 200 complaints were lodged about the pollution and noise, while most people just put up with it or complained about it online. Even Minister of the Interior Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) and independent Legislator Freddy Lim (林昶佐), who is seen as a leading sponsor of the festival, felt compelled to make statements, while writers and historians also aired their views. Problems concerning folk beliefs and religion have come to the fore all over Taiwan in the past few years. They have become mixed up with gangsters, entertainment and politics. Temple festivals take up road space as marquees are set up. They hold up traffic, attract noisy crowds and cause pollution. Rival gangs often fight over who gets to carry the idols around on palanquins. Religion is essentially about urging people to do good, so it is a matter of individual freedom, but it is also a private affair that should not affect other people. However, it would be hard to find anywhere else like Taiwan, where temples great and small hold ceremonies at all times of the year with din tao (陣頭) religious performances, incense burning, fireworks and amplified sutra recitals, forcing their beliefs down other people’s throats. This kind of culture is simply selfish. The essence of Western civilization is unselfishness, law abidance and respect for others. In a civilized society, the most important thing is to not inconvenience others. That is why people say sorry if they
HEARTBREAKING FINALE: Schalke 04’s hopes of a first win in 27 games were dashed by Marco Richter’s stoppage-time equalizer in a 2-2 draw with Augsburg Jamaica winger Leon Bailey on Sunday scored twice as Bayer 04 Leverkusen knocked Bayern Munich off the top of the Bundesliga with a 4-1 win over TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, while bottom side Schalke 04’s winless run stretched to 27 games in a dramatic 2-2 draw with Augsburg. Bailey opened the scoring with a scintillating strike early against Hoffenheim as in-form Leverkusen picked up their seventh win of the season to leapfrog champions Bayern into top spot. “The table is only a snapshot, but it’s an important one because we know how tough this league can be,” midfielder Julian Baumgartlinger said after Leverkusen went top for the first time in six years. Hoffenheim’s Florian Grillitsch brushed the bar with a header after just 14 seconds, but it was Leverkusen who landed the first blow on four minutes. Playing a quick one-two with Nadiem Amiri from a Leverkusen corner, Bailey curled the ball brilliantly into the top corner from the edge of the penalty area. A misjudged pass from Andrej Kramaric allowed Bailey to double the lead just before the half-hour mark, rounding stranded goalkeeper Oliver Baumann and slotting the ball into the open goal. Baumann kept his side in the game with a flying save to deny Florian Wirtz just before halftime and Christoph Baumgartner pulled a goal back with a brilliant long-range strike after the break. Yet Hoffenheim’s joy was short-lived, as Wirtz danced through the penalty area and beat Baumann with a dainty chip on 55 minutes. The visitors’ fate was sealed when both Grillitsch and Stefan Posch were sent off for second yellow cards within 15 minutes, before Lucas Alario added a fourth for Leverkusen with a stoppage-time penalty. Earlier on Sunday, Schalke’s hopes of a first win in 27 games were dashed by Marco Richter’s stoppage-time equalizer in a 2-2 draw overshadowed by a serious injury
The Kansas Chiefs on Sunday coughed up an uncharacteristic four turnovers, but still beat the Miami Dolphins 33-27 to clinch their fifth straight American Football Conference West Division title. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes received a rude welcome on his first appearance at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium since he earned Most Valuable Player honors in a Super Bowl win over the San Francisco 49ers in February. He was intercepted twice and sacked for an NFL-record 30-yard loss in the first quarter as Miami seized an early 10-0 lead, but the Chiefs scored 30 straight points to seize control and fended off the Dolphins’ fourth-quarter rally to improve to 12-1. Miami’s defeat gave the Chiefs’ main competition for the conference’s top overall seed, Pittsburgh, a boost, securing the Steelers’ first post-season berth since 2017. However, the Steelers dropped a game behind the Chiefs when they suffered just their second defeat of their season in the late game, losing 26-15 to the Buffalo Bills. Mahomes’ three interceptions marked his first multi-interception game in more than two years, but he threw for 393 yards and two touchdowns. “We won the Super Bowl here and just clinched the AFC West — it seems every time we leave this stadium we have a chat about something we accomplished,” Mahomes said. “The [bad] part, it seems, is like I have half my interceptions at this stadium.” Tyreek Hill scored on a 32-yard run and a 44-yard reception, while Travis Kelce had eight catches for 136 yards and a touchdown. Mecole Hardman returned a punt 67 yards for a touchdown and Chiefs defender Chris Jones sacked Dolphins rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for a safety. Tagovailoa passed for 316 yards and two touchdowns to Mike Gesicki, cutting the deficit to six points with less than five minutes to play before Harrison Butker kicked a 46-yard field goal for the
Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool on Sunday remain tied at the top of the English Premier League after both were held to 1-1 draws at Crystal Palace and Fulham respectively, while Pierre-Emerick Aubamyeng’s own-goal condemned Arsenal to another shock home defeat, going down 1-0 to Burnley. Leicester City took advantage of the slipups by the top two to close to within one point of the leaders as James Maddison scored twice in a 3-0 rout over Brighton & Hove Albion, while Southampton moved up to fourth as they also comfortably saw off Sheffield United 3-0. Liverpool and Tottenham face each other at Anfield tomorrow and, after Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United failed to win on Saturday, they both missed the chance to open up a gap at the top. The champions needed a Mohamed Salah penalty 11 minutes from time to avoid an embarrassing defeat at Fulham after a dreadful first-half performance left Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp seething on the touchline. “We needed half an hour to get our feet in the game, that’s why I shouted a bit at them,” Klopp said. “I think in the first half an hour we could have lost the game, in the last 60 minutes we should have won it. In the end we get a point and that’s it.” A thunderous finish into the far corner by Bobby DeCordova-Reid to take the lead was no more than Scott Parker’s side deserved as the returning Alisson Becker kept Liverpool in the game before halftime. Liverpool dominated the second half to pin Fulham back, but needed a penalty to salvage a point when Aboubakar Kamara was penalized for handling Georginio Wijnaldum’s free-kick. Salah slammed the penalty low and just beyond the grasp of Alphonse Areola, but Fulham comfortably saw out the final 10 minutes to the delight of 2,000 fans at
The Red Lions on Sunday avoided slipping into the second division when they won Taiwan’s first relegation playoff match against Inter Taoyuan on penalties. The two sides fielded strong sides at National Taiwan Sport University in Taoyuan, both creating good chances, while Inter’s Harding Lau was the busier of the two goalkeepers, especially in the second half. Lau had to be sharp with the Red Lions threatening from corners and set-pieces, although Inter also created several good chances, only to be denied by Red Lions goalkeeper Lee Kuan-pei. After both sides failed to make the breakthrough in 90 minutes and 30 minutes of extra-time it went to penalties, with Inter replacing Lau late in extra-time for Turkish goalkeeper Baslar Burak. Lee was the hero for the Red Lions after he saved one penalty and another was blazed over the bar, while his teammates put all four of their penalties past Burak for a 4-2 victory. The Red Lions finished the Taiwan Football Premier League season in seventh place on nine points, just ahead of Ming Chuan University on eight, who were relegated to the Taiwan Challenge League and replaced by the second-tier champions CPC Corp. “This year is the dawning of a new era. We have for the first time in Taiwanese soccer history established first-tier and second-tier leagues. This playoff for promotion and relegation is a first for Taiwan,” CTFA secretary-general Fang Ching-jen told reporters. “We were busy in the past two years laying the groundwork, building the foundations and requirements for the healthy development of soccer in Taiwan, with promotion and relegation between the top two tiers,” Fang said. “Taiwan is making progress to sustain the game for a long time, to catch up with other more advanced soccer nations by hosting professional clubs and an having an organized league structure.” Red Lions manager Chang Wu-yeh
PUBLIC FRUSTRATION: The Japanese prime minister has halted a domestic travel subsidy program, the local media said, while Seoul was accused of lax containment Japan and South Korea yesterday grappled with surging COVID-19 cases and growing public frustration as Japan’s prime minister suspended a contentious travel subsidy program, while an anxious South Korean president warned of harsh curbs. Japan reported more than 3,000 new cases on Saturday, yet another record as winter set in, with infections worsening in Tokyo, the northern island of Hokkaido and the city of Osaka. However, Japan, with a focus on the economic costs, has steered clear of tough lockdowns. It tackled its first wave of infections in the spring by asking people to refrain from going out and for businesses to close or curtail operating hours. The Japanese government has suspended the travel subsidy program, dubbed “Go To Travel,” from Dec. 28 to Jan. 11 nationwide, local media reported yesterday, responding to concerns about its effects on the spread of COVID-19. Media had widely reported earlier that the suspension would cover only the hardest-hit cities and regions such as Tokyo, and Nagoya, in central Japan. South Korean President Moon Jae-in also faces sliding ratings as clusters of new infections fuel criticism over what many see as slack containment. South Korea reported a new daily record of 1,030 infections on Sunday, a big worry for a country for months held up as a mitigation success story, but still a fraction of the tallies being seen in some European countries and the US, where vaccines are being rolled out. It reported 718 new cases yesterday. Few Asian countries expect to receive significant amounts of COVID-19 vaccines in coming weeks as they manage distribution schedules, allow time to check for any inoculation side effects elsewhere or run their own late-stage trials. Instead, they are counting on the methods that have largely kept infections in check for months — ahead of the curve testing, stringent travel curbs, strict social distancing and
With the first COVID-19 vaccine on the move in the US and a second close behind, the head of the initiative created to speed up the process rued political pressure on the approval process. Moncef Slaoui of Operation Warp Speed was asked on Fox News Sunday about reports that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) head was on Friday told that his job was in jeopardy if the agency did not approve the first COVID-19 vaccine by day’s end. If a telephone call along those lines between White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and FDA Administrator Stephen Hahn happened as reported, “I think it was useless and unfortunate, and so are some of the tweets,” Slaoui said. US President Donald Trump tweeted directly to Hahn’s account on Friday, saying “Get the dam [sic] vaccines out NOW,” and “Stop playing games.” FDA’s emergency use authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine followed hours later, and a day after a panel of independent experts convened by the FDA voted 17-4 that the benefits of the vaccine outweighed the risks. Public pressure “did never translate into any kind of interference of any sort” on Operation Warp Speed, said Slaoui, who spent 30 years in vaccine research at the pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline. He said he “would expect the FDA would have worked the same way.” The FDA’s decision on Friday set in motion a complicated immunization drive that is to launch across the country in coming days. The first doses of the vaccine were to be delivered yesterday, and the initial delivery is expected to be completed in all 50 US states by tomorrow, said US Army General Gustave Perna, who serves as chief operating officer for Operation Warp Speed. Many states, including New Jersey, are to start injecting healthcare workers and nursing home residents today. The FDA would consider a second vaccine
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Sunday faced criticism over his government’s plan — or lack thereof, opponents said — to vaccinate people against COVID-19 in the nation, which has the second-highest death toll worldwide. Brazil on Saturday published its vaccination plan with notable holes, including a start date and details of how to reach its target of 70 percent of the population. That prompted a new salvo of criticism of the far-right president, who has persistently defied expert advice on containing the COVID-19 pandemic and said that he did not plan to be vaccinated. “Enough shenanigans with the vaccine!” leading newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo said in a front-page editorial. “President Jair Bolsonaro’s murderous stupidity in the face of the coronavirus pandemic has surpassed all limits.” Rival daily Estado de Sao Paulo condemned the government’s “lethal incompetence.” The plan, which the Brazilian Supreme Court required the government to present, gives a rough sketch of the target populations and vaccines to be used in the initial immunization drive. It envisions four phases targeting sensitive groups, including health workers, elderly people, indigenous Brazilians and teachers, for a total of 51.6 million people, or 24 percent of the population of 212 million. The plan says the optimal target is to vaccinate more than 70 percent of the population, but provides no details on how to reach that figure. Experts said details on the timeline, logistics and sources of vaccines were also lacking.
In the winter of 2018, Gwen Kansen, a 33-year-old self-professed liberal, met a man called Elias in a bar. Within minutes, she knew he was intense. His phone screensaver was of Pepe the Frog — a symbol of the alt-right movement. His style reminded her of a Confederate soldier, and he wore badges proudly proclaiming his hatred for political correctness. It was not long before he disclosed he was a member of the Proud Boys, a far-right, male-only political organization. Still, Kansen didn’t put an end to the date. They drank rum and cokes; spoke about music, books and exes; and that night, he walked her home. The two had a brief fling. Later, Kansen wrote an article about coming to terms with her so-called liberal beliefs while still choosing to entertain the affair. The article was met with backlash. People spammed her Twitter, questioning her morals, dating standards and self awareness. How could a so-called liberal woman choose to date a member of a group known for its anti-Muslim and misogynistic rhetoric, associations with extremist gatherings, and a white nationalist agenda? The consequences of this group are real-life harm: death threats, racial slurs, violence and even murder, and yet Kansen saw it as an opportunity to dabble in a forbidden experience. The story might sound extreme, especially following a summer of “listening and learning.” Following the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, many white Americans have spent the past year taking part in a social justice movement online and on the ground, combating systemic racism and opposing police brutality. Bookstores sold out of race education books, social media timelines were consumed with Black Lives Matter support, and protests drew diverse crowds. But then we saw the election results. Trump won the support of 74 million Americans this year — including
Several years ago I was involved in a travel show that paid a visit to Wuling Farm (武陵農場), a lovely tourist spot high up in the central mountains, famous for hosting a small population of the Formosan landlocked salmon, one of the world’s rarest fish. We had missed the cherry blossoms, another attraction of the farm, and I queried our guide, a farm official, about the effect of climate change on the blossom schedule. He shook his head. “Everything has become unpredictable.” This unpredictability is at the heart of the paradoxes of human warming of the earth: its effects are at once inevitable and uncertain, straightforward and variegated, local and global. Yet there is one constant in all this change: the changing sea. Scary prospect for an island nation. Heating the earth has three major effects on the ocean: sea level rise, increased ocean temperatures, and ocean acidification. The first two are widely known to the public, but the third, just as devastating, is often left out of major media presentations. Sea level rise is the most familiar to the public. Depending on which path humans take to ameliorate greenhouse gas outputs, the oceans will rise at least 0.3 to 1 meter by the end of the century (remember, sea level rises don’t stop in 2100, only the calculations do). Of course Taiwan will suffer from this. According to a recent paper from Chiu Ming-chih (丘明智), Pan Ching-wen (潘靖汶) and Lin Hsing-juh (林幸助), by 2039, the sea level will rise over 3cm all around Taiwan, the ocean surface temperature will rise around 0.7 degrees Celcius, and the pH of coast waters will fall by 0.05 to 0.07. These changes will have powerful effects on coastal ecosystems that many Taiwanese depend on for incomes and leisure. SEA LEVEL RISE Certain parts of Taiwan are especially vulnerable
Dec. 14 to Dec. 20 A group of fishermen set sail from Taiwan in 1854 to protect today’s Wanhua District (萬華) from a devastating pandemic by retrieving a deity, known as Qingshanwang (青山王, Green Mountain King), from their ancestral home of Huian County (惠安) in Quanzhou City, Fujian Province. Upon returning to Wanhua, they hauled it inland, but only made it a little way because the effigy suddenly became too heavy to move. Worshippers saw it as a sign and built the first iteration of Qingshan Temple (青山宮). Due to Qingshanwang’s reputation for warding off diseases, Qingshan Temple became too crowded, so officials built a larger structure nearby in 1856. Qing-era Taipei was prone to epidemics due to its poor sanitary conditions, and the temple became the main source of solace for the people in times of sickness. A rat plague in 1904 allegedly abated after a rat corpse was found in Qingshanwang’s sleeve, further cementing the local belief in the temple’s miraculous powers. Qingshan Temple celebrated its patron deity’s birthday this past weekend with reportedly its biggest procession in the past 50 years — but it is now under fire after countless residents complained about the noise from loudspeakers and firecrackers that continued through the night. GROWING IN SIZE The temple in Wanhua wasn’t the first of its kind dedicated to the deity in Taiwan. Settlers also from Huian County founded the Lingshan Temple (靈山宮) in Changhua as early as 1800. There are two main theories for the deity’s origins. Some say that he was originally Chang Kun (張悃), a revered 10th century general of the Min Kingdom, while other sources maintain that he was a different Chang Kun (張梱), who served the Kingdom of Wu about 700 years earlier. Both Min and Wu’s territory encompassed Huian County. Today, Qingshan Temple officially
Will you be spending Christmas with your family? (2/5) 你會跟家人一起過聖誕節嗎？（二） A: Christmas for me is very different to your Lunar New Year vacation. For one thing, it only really lasts for one day. B: That’s a big difference. If I spend time with my father over the break, I’ll be on the road with him for almost a week. My extended family is dotted around the country. We’ll have to travel to at least two cities. A: I have five siblings, two of whom are married with kids. The married ones usually just spend Christmas with their immediate families. They sometimes visit my parents’ house to say hi. Some years they don’t bother. B: Do they live quite far from your parents? A: No, but that still doesn’t mean they’ll visit on Christmas day. The unmarried ones will generally spend the day with my parents. My youngest brother still lives at home, anyway. A: 我過聖誕節跟你過春節假期是很不一樣的。聖誕節只有一天，這是其中一點。 B: 這就有很大的不同。如果我春節假期去陪我爸，就幾乎是一整個禮拜都要跟他一起到處跑。我們的親戚住在國內各地，所以我們得要去至少兩個城市。 A: 我有五個兄弟姊妹，其中兩個已經結婚有小孩了。結婚的通常只跟他們小家庭一起過節。他們有時候會來我爸媽家探望，也有幾年懶得來。 B: 他們住得離你爸媽家遠嗎？ A: 不遠哪，可是這並不表示他們會在聖誕節當天來訪。沒結婚的通常會在聖誕節當天陪我爸媽過節。反正我最小的弟弟還住在家裡。 （Paul Cooper, Taipei Times／台北時報林俐凱譯） English 英文: Chinese 中文:
When people get backaches or sore feet, they usually go visit a pharmacy to buy analgesic plasters as a remedy. Some people say that the longer you wear an analgesic plaster, the better it will work, but the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says that plasters should not be worn for more than six hours. The FDA says that the main ingredients of analgesic plasters are methyl salicylate, capsaicin, menthol or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The pain-relieving ingredients of analgesic plasters act by absorption through the skin. If they are worn for too long, it may cause too much of these medications to be absorbed, and if your skin is sealed in airtight conditions for a long time it may also become reddened and swollen or itchy. There are many kinds of plaster available, some of them containing pure Chinese herbal medicine, while others contain drugs with anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. To reduce inflammation and relieve pain, people should choose plasters that contain ingredients such as diclofenac, indomethacin, flurbiprofen, piroxicam and ketoprofen, which may be a bit more effective than those that contain simple substances such as menthol, methyl salicylate, capsaicin and camphor. People who often have allergic reactions should pay special attention as to whether they contain any ingredients they may have a reaction to. The FDA says that people should consult a physician or pharmacist before using analgesic plasters and follow the usage and dose indicated on the box or information leaflet. Never exceed the recommended amount and time of application. You should also wipe dry any sweat before applying patches and make sure that you do not wear them for more than six hours. Avoid applying patches to any area of skin where there are open wounds, rashes or ulcers. If you often have allergic reactions to medicines, it is best
Will you be spending Christmas with your family? (1/5) 你會跟家人一起過聖誕節嗎？（一） A: I can’t believe we’re already halfway through December! Time seems to pass more quickly the older I get. B: Will you be spending Christmas with your family this year? A: You know I won’t! I can’t go home until the pandemic eases up. Why do you ask? B: Well, Lunar New Year is approaching. I’m thinking of telling my family that I will be too busy to spend time with them this year. A: I’m sure your father will understand. You have to go so far and there are always so many people traveling at the same time. He will be disappointed if you’re not there with him, though. B: What’s it like in your country? Are people expected to spend Christmas with the family? Will your family miss you if you can’t make it back this year? A: 真不敢相信十二月已經過了一半了！年紀越大，時間好像就過得越快。 B: 你今年會跟家人一起過聖誕節嗎？ A: 你是明知故問。疫情緩和以前，我是沒辦法回國的。你幹嘛問這個？ B: 這個嘛，春節快到了，我想跟我家人說，今年春節我太忙了，沒辦法回家過年。 A: 我想你爸一定可以理解。你回家就要跑那麼遠，而且路上要跟好多人一起擠。可是如果不陪你爸，他一定會很失望。 B: 你們國家的人是怎麼過節的？大家都要跟家人一起過聖誕節嗎？你今年如果不能回去，你家人會想念你嗎？ （Paul Cooper, Taipei Times／台北時報林俐凱譯） English 英文: Chinese 中文:
| New Taipei City | 16-16 | 100% |  |
| Hsinchu County | 16-16 | 70% | |
| Hsinchu City | 16-16 | 60% | |
| Taipei City | 15-15 | 100% | |
| Miaoli County | 16-17 | 20% |  |
| Taoyuan City | 15-15 | 90% | |
| Keelung City | 16-16 | 100% | |
| Yunlin County | 16-19 | 0% |  |
| Taichung City | 17-20 | 0% |  |
| Nantou County | 16-20 | 0% | |
| Changhua County | 17-19 | 10% | |
| Chiayi County | 16-20 | 0% | |
| Chiayi City | 16-20 | 0% | |
| Tainan City | 17-21 | 0% | |
| Kaohsiung City | 18-22 | 0% | |
| Pingtung County | 18-23 | 0% | |
| Yilan County | 15-16 | 80% | |
| Hualien County | 18-19 | 10% |  |
| Taitung County | 18-20 | 10% | |
| Kinmen County | 13-14 | 10% | |
| Penghu County | 18-18 | 10% | |
| Lienchiang County | 9-10 | 20% | |
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