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

Rising gov't debts a concern: Fitch Ratings

The China Post - Taiwan's overall credit-worthiness remains solid, yet increasing government debts have become a concern, said James McCormack, head of Asia sovereigns of Fitch Ratings, yesterday. Full Story

Bureau suggests trucks use energy-saving flaps

The China Post - The Bureau of Energy has proposed the installation of a wind-guiding flap board on top of the hood of heavy-duty trucks in order to help save energy consumption and cost. Full Story

India tops Forbes list of Asian companies

The China Post - India has the largest number of profitable companies with revenues or market capitalization above US$5.0 billion in the Asia-Pacific region, Forbes business magazine said Thursday. Full Story

Shares close 1.16% higher on bargain hunting

The China Post - Taiwan share prices closed 1.16 percent higher Thursday as investors shrugged off the impact of falls on Wall Street overnight and were drawn back into the market by attractive valuations, dealers said. Full Story

TAIEX retakes 9,000 in rally

The China Post - Taiwan stocks rose yesterday, with the TAIEX retaking the 9,000 level on a rally in electronic shares such as Acer Inc. and High Tech Computer Corp. Full Story

Games Convention Asia in Singapore a hotbed for gamers, developers

The China Post - Ten Asia-Pacific countries signed an agreement Thursday to turn the region into a hotbed for the electronic gaming sector while developers showed off their next-generation products. Full Story

Member of Taiwan central bank board opposes rate rise

The China Post - A board member from Taiwan's central bank is opposed to raising interest rates and propping up the Taiwan dollar as it undermines the island's competitiveness, the United Daily News said Thursday. Full Story

CPC to boost spending by 45 percent

The China Post - CPC Corp. plans to increase spending by 45 percent next year as Taiwan's state-owned oil refiner expands its ability to process less expensive varieties of crude and produce higher-earning fuels with lower sulfur content. Full Story

Mandarin Airlines to add two international routes

The China Post - Mandarin Airlines, a subsidiary of the Taiwan-based China Airlines, will operate two more international charter routes -- Kaohsiung-Okinawa and Kaohsiung-Cebu -- from Sept. 14 and Sept 16, respectively, a spokesman for the carrier said yesterday. Full Story

Chi Mei Opto August sales rise 69% to NT$29.5 billion

The China Post - Chi Mei Optoelectronics Corp., Taiwan's second-largest liquid-crystal display maker, posted an 69 percent increase in August sales from a year earlier. Full Story

Qisda sales in August fall 19% to NT$13 billion

The China Post - Qisda Corp., formerly known as BenQ Corp., posted a 19 percent decline in August sales from a year earlier. Full Story

Inspections on China goods to be stepped up

The China Post - In a bid to safeguard the health of nationals, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) is moving to enhance inspections on four selected categories of products imported from mainland China, namely toothpaste, beddings, toys and garments, according to sources close to the ministry. Full Story

Consumer price index rises in August on food

The China Post - Taiwan's consumer price index (CPI) rose in August due largely to an increase in food prices, the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) reported yesterday. Full Story

Taiwan raises standards for holding firms, requiring more assets, capital

The China Post - Taiwan has set higher standards for forming a financial holding firm, requiring at least twice the assets and working capital from current levels in a bid to help speed up consolidation in the banking industry. Full Story

ROC to hold seminars to woo investors

The China Post - The Taiwan Stock Exchange Corp. will organize investment seminars in New York City and London later this week to woo both American and European investors, financial officials said yesterday. Full Story

The Council for Economic Planning and Development mulls corporate income tax cut

The China Post - The Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD) Tuesday unveiled a plan to significantly reduce the corporate income tax rate in order to improve the country's business environment. Full Story

Yahoo Taiwan upgrades search engine

The China Post - Yahoo Taiwan announced yesterday that it is upgrading its sponsored search engine -- also called a paid search engine -- based on keywords submitted by users during their Internet search. Full Story

HTC to launch new PDAs, phones with Qualcomm chips

The China Post - Taiwan smartphone maker High Tech Computer (HTC) said yesterday it will launch 10 new PDAs and smartphones using chips from U.S.-based Qualcomm Inc by the end of the year. Full Story

Grand Formosa Regent to train future leaders

The China Post - Grand Formosa Regent will begin a Management Apprenticeship Program in which the hotel will train qualified candidates for leadership positions over a period of one year. Full Story

Carlyle asks 2nd fund to co-invest

The China Post - Carlyle Group has invited a second private equity fund to jointly invest NT$21.5 billion in Taiwan's Ta Chong Bank, the bank said yesterday, as local media reported the fund was part of JPMorgan's Corsair private equity group. Full Story

Innolux may sell US$1.5 bil. of stock to fund LCD plant

The China Post - Innolux Display Corp., the world's second-largest maker of flat-screen computer monitors, plans to sell as much as US$1.5 billion of stock overseas to finance the construction of a liquid-crystal-display factory in Taiwan. Full Story

Asustek shares advance 2.6% on analyst reports

The China Post - Asustek Computer Inc., the world's largest maker of boards that connect computer parts, rose to its highest level in more than five years on Taiwan's exchange after Citigroup Inc. and Morgan Stanley raised the stock's target price. Full Story

Gateway to sell corporate unit to MPC for US$90 million

The China Post - Gateway Inc., the computer maker that will be acquired by Taiwan's Acer Inc., agreed to sell its corporate business unit to MPC Corp. for about US$90 million. Full Story

Taipower axes plan to sell NT$2 billion in 5-year bonds

The China Post - Taiwan Power Co. (Taipower) has dropped a plan to sell NT$2 billion 5-year bonds in a private placement because price bids were unsatisfactory, a senior company official said. Full Story

China Steel says August sales rose 9.7% to NT$17.6 billion

The China Post - China Steel Corp., Taiwan's largest steelmaker, said August sales rose 9.7 percent from a year earlier. Full Story

Taiwan end-August foreign exchange reserves drop

The China Post - Taiwan's foreign exchange reserves dropped to US$261.37 billion at the end of August from US$266.29 billion registered last month, the central bank said yesterday. Full Story

Share prices flat after profit-taking

The China Post - Taiwan share prices closed with little change Wednesday, with early gains made on Wall Street's rise and hopes of a United States interest rate cut giving way to profit-taking, dealers said. Full Story

Container volume at Kaohsiung Port hits high

The China Post - The volume of containers handled at the Kaohsiung Port in August reached 877,393 TEUs, marking the highest single month record in the port's history, a spokesman said yesterday. Full Story

Taipei invention show, technomart to be held

The China Post - The 2007 Taipei International Invention Show and Technomart will take place Sept. 27-30, with 650 local and foreign companies expected to participate in the annual event, Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) officials said yesterday. Full Story

Ma calls for cross-strait investment plan

The China Post - The main opposition Kuomintang's (KMT) presidential candidate Tuesday called for investment guarantee accords between Taiwan and China to protect business interests of the many Taiwanese businessmen operating in China. Full Story

Environmental group cautions against major development projects

The China Post - An environmental monitoring group yesterday cautioned against giving a green light on environmental assessments for such controversial development projects as a large steel refinery and a petrochemical park. Full Story

Room to Read takes social entrepreneurship to new height

The China Post - Eight years ago, John Wood found his raison d'etre during a visit to a school in rural Nepal. Disheartened to see an empty library yet touched by the enthusiasm of its teachers and students, he vowed to go back with books. Full Story

Formosa delays plant overhaul after fault

The China Post - Formosa Petrochemical Corp., Taiwan's only publicly traded oil refiner, delayed maintenance at its No. 2 ethylene plant after shutting the company's No. 1 facility for unscheduled repairs. Full Story

Motherboard shipments may rise 14%

The China Post - Asustek Computer Inc., the world's largest maker of boards connecting computer parts, forecast company shipments of the product will rise 14 percent this year on demand in China and Europe. Full Story

Chungkang export zone draws 16 new investments

The China Post - The Chungkang Export Processing Zone (CEPZ) in Taichung County in central Taiwan has attracted 16 new investment projects worth NT$5.58 billion between January and August this year, an official said yesterday. Full Story

Use options to bet NT$ will appreciate, JPMorgan says

The China Post - Investors should use options to bet the Taiwan dollar will gain the next two months as the U.S. economy quickens and sustains demand for exports, according to JPMorgan Chase & Co. Full Story

Advanced Semiconductor to buy rest of ASE Test

The China Post - Advanced Semiconductor Engineering Inc., the world's biggest chip packager and tester, will acquire all shares it doesn't already own in ASE Test Ltd. for US$784 million and delist the Nasdaq-traded unit to cut costs. Full Story

Evergreen may invest in China shipyard

The China Post - Evergreen Group, parent of Taiwan's biggest shipping line, may invest in a Chinese shipbuilder to accelerate delivery of new vessels. Full Story

Shares fall on Shin Kong China issues

The China Post - Taiwan shares fell Tuesday as retail investors sold China-related issues.
The Weighted Price Index of the Taiwan Stock Exchange lost 56.98 points, or 0.6 percent, to close at 8,922.98 on weak volume. Full Story

201 cross-strait business disputes in 2007: Straits Exchange Foundation

The China Post - The Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) had dealt with a total of 201 business disputes filed by Taiwan businessmen investing in China in the first eight months of the year, an official of the quasi-official body said yesterday. Full Story

Mitsukoshi staff safe in Taiwan after dispute

The China Post - A Taiwan department store chain said yesterday members of its staff had returned safely to Taipei after a business dispute in Beijing and a police grilling that raised questions about investor safety in China. Full Story

Demand for technicians expected to increase in the fourth quarter

The China Post - Manpower demand is expected to steadily rise in the fourth quarter, with an anticipated increasing demand for technicians, according to a survey released yesterday by the Cabinet-level Council of Labor Affairs (CLA). Full Story

Taiwan's contributions to 'green economy' lauded

The China Post - Officials from various government and local agencies lauded yesterday Taiwan's contributions to the "green economy" at a press conference in Taiwan, while the 15th APEC Leaders Week was being held in Sydney last Sunday on the same issues. Full Story

New DV broadcasting, handheld technology previewed

The China Post - FarEastone and Public Television Service (PTS) announced their joint cooperation on a mobile television at a preview held yesterday. People whose cellphone comes with Digital Video Broadcasting-Handheld (DVBH) technology and live between Keelung and Miaoli are able to receive six channels. Full Story

CPC to reduce 2008 oil refinery rates for maintenance shutdowns

The China Post - CPC Corp., Taiwan's state-owned oil refiner, plans to use 9.1 percentage points less of its crude processing capacity next year because of maintenance shutdowns. Full Story

Taiwan electronics to report brilliant sales

The China Post - Taiwan's five major electronics companies will report brilliant sales for August due to high demands for computers and electronic products, the local Commercial Times reported yesterday, citing analysts. Full Story