Crackdown on toxic toys to continue

The China Post- The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) yesterday criticized mainland China for making and importing hazardous, substandard toys to Taiwan and reiterated its resolve to crack down on these toys. Full Story

Marks and Spencer to open Taipei store

The China Post- As part of a bold entry into the local fashion retail market, the iconic UK clothing chain Marks and Spencer (M&S) will open its second store in Taiwan at Tonlin Plaza. Full Story

LG.Philips wins added damages in patent suit

The China Post- LG.Philips LCD Co., the world's second-largest maker of liquid-crystal screens, was awarded additional damages in a patent lawsuit it won last year against Chunghwa Picture Tubes Ltd. Full Story

Foxconn expands Vietnam investments

The China Post- Taiwanese electronics giant Foxconn said Wednesday it will build a US$1.1 billon industrial center in northern Vietnam as part of a plan to invest a massive US$5 billion into the country, local media reported. Full Story

President Chain plans 200 supermarkets in Shandong

The China Post- Taiwan food giant President Chain Store Corp said yesterday it is planning to open 200 supermarkets in the northern Chinese province of Shandong by 2010. Full Story

Shares down 1 percent on oil concerns

The China Post- Taiwan share prices closed 1.01 percent lower Thursday on worries over high crude oil prices and Wall Street's lackluster performance overnight, dealers said. Full Story

Tokyo inches up; HK sets new record

The China Post- Asian markets were mixed Thursday, with Japanese shares inching higher amid political uncertainty after the prime minister announced his resignation a day earlier. Hong Kong shares rose to a new record, lifted by property stocks on hopes for a U.S. interest rate cut next week. Full Story

Annual 2007 Taipei Beer Festival kicks off Saturday

The China Post- The annual 2007 Taipei-Taiwan Beer Festival will be held Saturday at the historic Jianguo Brewery by the intersection of Jianguo N. Road and Bade Road in Taipei's Zhongshan District from 2 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Full Story

Taichung International Leisure and Fine Food Show opens

The China Post- The 2007 Taichung International Leisure and Fine Food Show opened yesterday at the Taichung World Trade Center and is expected to attract more than 30,000 visitors during four days of exhibition. Full Story

CPA touts BOT sewerage projects to foreign firms

The China Post - The government is committed to making build-operate-transfer (BOT) sewerage projects attractive to foreign companies as it seeks to borrow from their experience in sewerage construction and maintenance, said the head of the Construction and Planning Agency yesterday. Full Story

Cabinet to invest in agricultural technology

The China Post - Premier Chang Chun-hsiung yesterday announced a NT$10 billion project aimed at stimulating investment in the development of innovative agricultural technologies. Full Story

Shin Kong ends row with Chinese partner

The China Post - A management row over a joint venture department store in Beijing between Taiwan's Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Department Store and Beijing Hualian Group was officially settled early yesterday morning after lengthy negotiations between both sides under the coordination of the Taiwan Affairs Office under China's State Council. Full Story

Cabinet bill calls for transparency of non-profits

The China Post - The Executive Yuan yesterday proposed a bill calling on non-profit organizations to make their financial information more accessible and transparent. Full Story

Taipower hires engineering firm after Shaw Group quits

The China Post - Taiwan Power Co. said it hired E&C Engineering Corp. to supply engineers and provide other staff after a Shaw Group Inc. subsidiary ended its contract to advise on construction of the island's fourth nuclear power plant. Full Story

Prudential to market insurance via Standard Chartered in ROC

The China Post - Prudential Plc, the U.K.'s second- biggest insurer, will sell policies through Standard Chartered Plc's 86 branches in Taiwan, the eighth market in Asia where the two companies have that arrangement. Full Story

Taiwan dollar to gain 3%: Standard Chartered

The China Post - The Taiwan dollar will strengthen more than 3 percent by the end of June 2008 because the central bank will increase interest rates as economic growth accelerates, according to Standard Chartered Plc. Full Story

Vietnam an opportunity, challenge: CNAIC

The China Post - The Chinese National Association of Industry and Commerce (CNAIC) said yesterday than Vietnam has become an opportunity and a challenge since it has joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in January. Full Story

Stem cells restore blood vessels: research

The China Post - Mesenchymal stem cells in bone marrow have proven helpful in restoring damaged blood vessels, paving the way for a new therapy for stroke, myocardial infarction and avascular necrosis, orthopedists at Taipei Veterans General Hospital (TVGH) reported Wednesday. Full Story

Foxconn falls to year-low on first-half results

The China Post - Foxconn International Holdings Ltd., the world's biggest contract manufacturer of mobile phones, fell to the lowest in more than a year in Hong Kong trading after posting first-half profit that missed analysts' estimates. Full Story

Epistar shares jump on report of backlight shortage

The China Post - Epistar Corp., Taiwan's largest maker of light-emitting diodes used in mobile phones, climbed to a six-week high on Taipei's stock exchange after the Economic Daily News reported LED demand is outstripping supply. Full Story

Macronix may consider semiconductor factory

The China Post - Macronix International Co., which makes chips for customers including Nintendo Co., said it's considering building a new semiconductor factory. Full Story

Stock market rises with Wall Street recovery

The China Post - Taiwan shares rose slightly Wednesday, led by finance and electronics stocks as investors largely ignored a robust gain overnight on Wall Street. Full Story

Japanese prime minister resigns; Tokyo stocks fall

The China Post - Asian markets were mixed Wednesday, with Japanese shares falling on news of the prime minister's resignation, while Hong Kong shares rose to a record on hopes for an interest rate cut by the U.S. Federal Reserve. Full Story

Jobseekers face bleak hiring season

The China Post - Job seekers in Taiwan ready for another bleak hiring season in the final quarter of 2007 as the employment prospects on the island continue to dim with the fewest job opportunities available among major economies in the Asia-Pacific region. Full Story

Focus on clean mobility at Frankfurt show

The China Post - Car makers are presenting a flurry of new drive concepts at the 62nd International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt from September 13 to 23 aimed at making cars of the future cleaner and safer. Full Story

Stocks close higher on electronics

The China Post - Taiwan's stocks rose, led by electronics makers, after Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. said August sales jumped more than a third to a record. Full Story

Markets mostly higher; traders cautious

The China Post - Asian markets limped through a sluggish day Tuesday to finish mostly higher, with traders wary ahead of an upcoming decision by the U.S. Federal Reserve on interest rates and following a volatile session on Wall Street overnight. Full Story

SEMICON Taiwan kicks off three-day trade show

The China Post - SEMICON Taiwan, a trade event for semiconductor equipment and materials makers, kicks off its three-day run today at the Taipei World Trade Center (TWTC), with a record number of exhibitors and booths this year. Full Story

Woodside confirms LNG talks with CPC

The China Post - Woodside Petroleum Ltd., Australia's second largest oil and gas producer, said it has held talks with Taiwan's CPC Corp. and other Asian buyers for liquefied natural gas sales and initial accords may be signed "soon." Full Story

Taipower to boost spending 9.1% in 2008 on plants, grid

The China Post - Taiwan Power Co., the island's biggest electricity producer, plans to increase spending on plants, power lines and other equipment by 9.1 percent next year to help prevent blackouts. Full Story

AIG expects to break even by 2008

The China Post - American International Group Inc. expects its wealth-management business in Taiwan, opened yesterday, to become profitable by the end of 2008, said Peter Wild, chief executive at AIG's private banking arm. Full Story

Funds flowing into Asia outpace redemptions: report

The China Post - Funds flowing into the Asian region in the past two weeks surpassed redemptions in late July and August when equity markets suffered sharp losses on concerns of a global credit crunch, a Citigroup report said on Tuesday Inflows totalled US$2.9 billion during the two-week period. Full Story

Tax revenue for first 8 months up 8.2 percent

The China Post - Net tax revenue for the first eight months reached NT$1.17 trillion (US$35.22 billion), an increase of NT$89 billion or 8.2 percent from the same period of last year, a financial official said yesterday. Full Story

Governement to ask Thailand for coriander safety checks

The China Post - The government will ask Thailand to provide safety certification for its coriander exports to Taiwan after six recent batches of the imported herb from Thailand were found to contain traces of a banned pesticide, a Department of Health (DOH) official said yesterday. Full Story

Taiwanese, Canadian firms discuss 'functional' food

The China Post - Taiwanese and Canadian biotechnology companies exchanged information of "functional food and nutraceuticals" and looked for potential partners in the rapidly growing sector in a video conference yesterday. Full Story

Gift voucher issuers in Taiwan profit NT$100 million in unreturned change: lawmaker

The China Post - Issuers of gift vouchers may be "swindling" over NT$100 million (US$3 million) every year by not giving customers back change when the transaction value is lower than the face value of the voucher, Lawmaker Tseng Tsan-teng of the opposition Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) said yesterday. Full Story

CPC to buy LNG from Woodside Browse

The China Post - CPC Corp., Taiwan's only natural gas importer, plans to buy liquefied natural gas from Woodside Petroleum Ltd.'s Browse project in Western Australia, becoming the venture's second customer, a CPC official said. Full Story

Taiwan's recycling business tops list: Environmental Protection Administration

The China Post - Taiwan's recycling business tops other countries in the world, after a painful learning curve of about 20 years in terms of environmental protection, an Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) official said yesterday. Full Story

United States investor aims to put Cosmos Bank in black in 2008

The China Post - U.S. hedge fund SAC Capital expects Taiwan's struggling Cosmos Bank to turn profitable next year after it and GE jointly invest US$900 million for a controlling stake, an SAC executive said yesterday. Full Story

Mediatek buys ADI chip unit for US$350 million

The China Post - Mediatek Inc., Taiwan's leading chip designer, is buying the wireless chip business of Analog Devices Inc. (ADI) for US$350 million in cash to expand its share in mainland China. Full Story

TSMC August sales rise, ups Q3 outlook

The China Post - TSMC, the world's biggest contract chipmaker, posted an 8 percent annual rise in August sales and raised its third-quarter sales forecast yesterday, showing further improvement in the chip sector's recovery. Full Story

Taiwan energy use rises by most in 6 months on manufacturers

The China Post - Taiwan's energy demand rose by the fastest pace in six months in July because of increased demand from manufacturers such as Formosa Petrochemical Corp., the island's second-biggest fuel supplier. Full Story

Four Taiwan firms accuse Philips of charging 'unfair' royalties

The China Post - Four Taiwan disc-makers accusing Philips Electronics of charging unfair royalties are seeking the return of paid royalties and damages, a newspaper reported yesterday. Full Story

Taiwan ranks 21st worldwide in per capita GDP: CEPD

The China Post - Taiwan ranked 21st in the world in terms of its 2006 per capita gross domestic product (GDP) measured by purchasing power parity (PPP) at US$30,084, a Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD) official said yesterday. Full Story

Markets tumble on United States data, Wall Street drop

The China Post - Most Asian markets fell sharply Monday after disappointing U.S. jobs data renewed concerns about growth in the world's largest economy. Full Story

Shares down 0.89% on United States woes, sell-offs

The China Post - Taiwan share prices closed 0.89 percent lower Monday, with sentiment dampened by Wall Street's weakness and a following sell-off in regional markets including Japan and China, dealers said. Full Story

Taiwan seeking to expand India ties: CEPD

The China Post - Taiwan is planning to boost cooperation with India in the fields of construction, finance and air transportation, in the hope that the South Asian nation will become one of Taiwan's top 10 trade partners by 2015, a government report released yesterday said. Full Story

Taiwan ranks 47th in world for 'ease of doing business'

The China Post - Taiwan ranked 47th in the world in terms of ease of doing business for 2006, down four notches from the previous year, according to an annual report released recently by The World Bank Group. Full Story

The Ministry of Economic Affairs reports NT$7.8 billion from overseas investors

The China Post - The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) reported Saturday that a total of 86 investment projects amounting to an estimated NT$7.8 billion have been initiated under a project launched in September 2006 to attract overseas Taiwanese businesspeople to invest in Taiwan. Full Story

United States court denies TSMC injunction against SMIC

The China Post - Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC), China's biggest chipmaker, said a U.S. court denied a preliminary injunction against it by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. on Sept. 7. Full Story

Compal plans to sell 3.42 million Himax shares

The China Post - Compal Electronics Inc., the world's second-largest maker of notebook computers, plans to sell 3.42 million shares in Himax Technologies Inc. Full Story

Taiwan expresses interest in Sao Tome oil exploration

The China Post - Taiwan wants to get involved in oil exploration in the waters around Sao Tome & Principe but must compete with other nations when formal bids open, the tiny West African nation's foreign minister said yesterday. Full Story

Taiwan's China exports up in August

The China Post - Taiwan's exports to China and Hong Kong in August amounted to US$8.89 billion, up 14.8 percent year-on-year, and accounting for 41.6 percent of the nation's total exports by volume, an official with the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. Full Story

Average 2006 household expenditures up 1.7 percent

The China Post - Average household expenditures in 2006 increased 1.7 percent over the previous year, with food and beverages taking the largest slice of the pie, according to statistics released by the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) yesterday. Full Story

Taiwan's economic competitiveness discussed at AmCham luncheon

The China Post - Taiwan's competitiveness and future economic outlook were the key topics discussed at a luncheon held by the American Chamber of Commerce Taipei (AmCham) yesterday. Full Story

The Financial Supervisory Commission head promotes Taiwan's business climate in U.S. visit

The China Post - The head of Taiwan's top financial supervisory agency is seeking more U.S. investments in Taiwan, a place he said is worth investing in. Full Story

Taiwan's export growth up on Asian demand

The China Post - Taiwan's export growth accelerated on increased electronics sales and demand from China and Southeast Asia. Full Story

CPC may buy 2 mil. tons of LNG spot cargoes

The China Post - CPC Corp., Taiwan's state-owned oil refiner, may buy a record number of liquefied natural gas cargoes in the next few years from the spot market because contracted supplies have failed to match demand. Full Story

AU Optronics, LCD stocks gain on higher sales, prices

The China Post - AU Optronics Corp. led shares of liquid-crystal display makers higher after the company posted record monthly sales and prices increased for panels used in computer monitors and notebooks. Full Story

United Microelectronics Corp's August sales up 3.78% to NT$10.43 bil.

The China Post - Taiwan's United Microelectronics Corp (UMC) said Friday its sales rose 3.78 percent in August to NT$10.43 billion (US$316 million) from NT$10.05 billion in July. Full Story

Shares end flat on weak volume; tech firms rise

The China Post - Taiwan shares ended flat Friday on weak volume. The Weighted Price Index of the Taiwan Stock Exchange rose 1 point to 9,018.08. Foreign investors were the main players. Full Story