THE ECONOMIC NEWS IS MOSTLY POSITIVE On November 17 economist Chen Shin-hui, assistant research fellow at the Center for Economic Forecasting, part of the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research (CIER), offered a lively presentation and discussion on the state of Taiwan’s and the world’s economy. As the compiler of CIER’s Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), a monthly…

FARGLORY FOUNDER FACES PRISON SENTENCE Farglory Group founder and chairman Chao Teng-hsiung is facing a 24-year prison sentence on charges of bribery and breach of trust involving several public construction projects. Following a four-month investigation. The Taipei District Prosecutors Office arrested 31 people including Chao, New Taipei City councilor Chou Sheng-kao, and Lee Shush-der, the Taipei…

The series of food-related scandals in Taiwan in recent years has aroused public concern regarding the safety and reliability of the food supply. In effort to provide a communication platform to enhance understanding of food safety laws and regulations, AmCham Taipei’s Retail Committee conducted a Chinese-language Food Safety Forum at The Sherwood Taipei on October 17. The event was sponsored by…

Few technological advances have gained the world’s attention like the Internet of Things (IoT), defined by global analytics firm IDC as “a network of uniquely identifiable ‘things’ that communicate without human interaction using IP connectivity.” Some 13 billion connected devices are already in operation, used mostly in manufacturing, transportation, smart cities, and consumer applications, and…

The legislature is expected to loosen the current restrictions on media shareholding by government or political entities. BY TIMOTHY FERRY AND DON SHAPIRO The Legislative Yuan is currently considering draft amendments to Taiwan’s three primary media laws that would allow limited investment in electronic media operations by government, political parties, and the military. Current regulations…

As an investment destination, the United States is attracting greater interest from Taiwan’s top corporations – but it’s struggling to attract smaller players.  Terry Gou knows an opportunity when he sees one. The Foxconn chief’s fine-tuned business and political instincts seized the chance provided by the new Trump administration’s push to revive the American manufacturing…