Taiwan s 2021 economic growth forecast at 4.8%
04/21/2021 06:30 PM
Visitors to a recent consumer electronics fair in Taipei. CNA file photo
Taipei, April 21 (CNA) Taiwan s economy is likely to grow by an annual 4.8 percent in 2021, after its 3.11 percent rise last year, the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research (CIER) said Wednesday, raising its forecast.
The latest growth forecast by the Taipei-based think tank was 1.07 percentage points higher than its prediction late last year of a 3.73 percent increase for 2021.
In raising its forecast, CIER cited three factors, the main one being stronger exports, as the world s two largest economies, China and United States, recover from the COVID-19 pandemic faster than expected, while the rate of vaccination in other major trade partners has picked up.
Greenpeace urges Taiwan to adopt a minimum carbon price of US$35 per tonne
04/20/2021 09:56 PM
Photo courtesy of Greenpeace
Taipei, April 20 (CNA) Greenpeace on Tuesday urged Taiwan s Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) to include the goal of carbon neutrality by 2050 and introduce a minimum carbon price of US$35 per metric ton, as part of the agency s proposed revision of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Management Act.
At a press conference held in front of EPA headquarters in Taipei, Greenpeace erected a large installation to demonstrate that a carbon price of US$4 per metric ton, previously reported by local media, was far lower than the US$33 in South Korea, US$68 in Finland and US$50-US$100 recommended by the World Bank.
Nanya Technology new investment seeks to boost competitiveness
04/20/2021 06:27 PM
Nanya President Lee Pei-ing. CNA photo April 20, 2021
Taipei, April 20 (CNA) Nanya Technology Corp. will build a 12-inch wafer plant in northern Taiwan, at a cost of NT$300 billion (US$10.63 billion), to enhance the competitiveness and long-term development of the company, Nanya President Lee Pei-ing (李培瑛) said Tuesday.
The investment is not aimed at boosting the company s market share, but at enhancing its competitive edge, narrowing its difference with rivals and securing long-term development, Lee said at a press conference at the company s headquarters in New Taipei.
Nanya Technology, one of the world s largest dynamic random access memory (DRAM) chipmakers, officially announced the new fab project at the press event.
Poor air quality in western Taiwan, outlying islands
04/18/2021 01:41 PM
CNA photo on April 18, 2021
Taipei, April 18 (CNA) Poor air quality was recorded in the outlying island counties of Kinmen and Penghu, and parts of western Taiwan early Sunday because of inbound pollutants from China and stagnant winds that limited the dispersal of air pollutants, according to the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA).
As of 9 a.m., a total of 20 air monitoring stations across areas north of Hsinchu County and in Penghu and Kinmen had detected air quality at the red alert level, suggesting unhealthy air quality for all groups of people, according to data on the EPA s air quality monitoring network.
Taiwan reports 2 new imported COVID-19 cases
04/16/2021 04:55 PM
CECC spokesperson Chuang Jen-hsiang. CNA photo April 16, 2021
Taipei, April 16 (CNA) Taiwan on Friday confirmed two imported cases of COVID-19 infection, from the Philippines and Croatia, bringing the total number of cases in the nation to 1,070 since the pandemic emerged in late 2019, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).
The case from the Philippines is a Taiwanese in his 30s, who flew to the Southeast Asian country for work in January 2020. On April 3, when he returned to Taiwan, the man reported a frequent runny nose due to preexisting allergies.
The man also reported that he lost his sense of smell on March 10 for five to six days, while in the Philippines. At the time, he did not seek medical treatment, CECC spokesperson Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said at Friday s press briefing.