Taiwan sees unusual decrease in power use as economy slows

Taiwan sees unusual decrease in power use as economy slows

2023-07-05

Taiwan’s electricity use has posted negative growth for the first time in 10 years. This may sound like good news to some, but declining power use is seen as a reflection of slowing economic growth. Last month, the central bank cut its GDP forecast to below 2%, citing weak exports and a sluggish global economy.

According to Taipower, Taiwan used 89.257 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity in the first five months of the year. That’s a 2.78% reduction compared to last year. Industrial electricity use fell by 4.5% year-on-year. Although semiconductor companies did not cut back on usage, the growth rate of consumption tapered off. Experts project that power use will remain flat throughout July and August. They expect a rebound only after September, when export orders are set to pick up after inventory corrections.

台10年來首見！上半年用電皆負成長成景氣指標

2023-07-05

全球面臨烏俄戰爭和升息影響，台灣難逃險境，央行不僅下修GDP保"2"無望，台電日前更公布全國1-5月的用電量，雷曼兄弟、歐債危機事件之後，罕見負成長，成為觀測景氣的一大指標。

今年前五個月，台電賣出去的電達892.57億度，比去年減少2.78%，是國內整體用電10年來罕見負成長，其中產業用電年減4.5%，台積電等半導體業用電雖然沒有減少，但漲幅收斂。專家預估，7.8月的用電仍然不會成長，得等各產業庫存真的調整完，9月外銷訂單看見曙光，景氣才算真的好轉。

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Lai outlines plan to preserve cross-strait peace in WSJ op-ed

2023-07-05

DPP’s Lai hails exemplary community leaders as ‘healthy cells’

On Wednesday, Vice President Lai attended a recognition ceremony for borough chiefs, village heads, and other community leaders from across Taiwan. In a reference to his training as a doctor, Lai compared the community leaders to "healthy human cells." He said that, just as healthy cells allow the body to thrive, good community leaders allow a nation’s policies to succeed.

At a ceremony honoring exemplary local officials, Vice President Lai Ching-te used the analogy of the human cell to highlight the importance of local leadership.

Lai Ching-te
Vice president
In medicine, the fundamental unit of the human body is the cell. If the cell’s healthy, the person will naturally be healthy, too. In the country’s political organization, borough chiefs and village heads are the foundation, just like cells are to the human body. As long as borough chiefs and village heads do well and govern effectively, then executing the country’s policies will be smooth sailing too.

Lai credited the outstanding local leaders with the success of government initiatives. He named the many tasks they undertake.

Lai Ching-te
Vice president
When the members of the public face difficulties, the first call they make is to their borough chiefs and village heads. Local leaders played a key role during the COVID-19 pandemic. When a typhoon strikes and calls for an evacuation, again it’s these local heads who conduct evacuation drills every year without fail. A third thing I deeply appreciate echoes what the interior minister just mentioned, which is their care for the less privileged.

In his remarks, Lai also called on local leaders to support the government’s Long-term Care Plan 2.0.

Lai Ching-te
Vice president
Institutional long-term care workers cost around NT$30,000, or more than NT$32,000 a month. Basically it’s already much more affordable than before 2016. I understand that when local governments roll out Long-term Care Plan 2.0., it’s often the borough chiefs who take on the bulk of the work, along with elected representatives and the Executive Yuan. So I’m taking this opportunity to express my gratitude to you all.

As a presidential candidate, Lai is seizing every opportunity to garner support from the grassroots.

2023-07-05

Ko, Hou lock horns over conscription term at temple celebration

Turning now to the opposition candidates. The KMT’s Hou Yu-ih and Ko Wen-je of the Taiwan People’s Party attended the same temple celebration on Wednesday. The two rivals didn’t miss the chance to cross swords. Speaking at the event, Ko blasted Hou for wanting to shorten the military conscription period to four months. In response, Hou said he was being deliberately misunderstood by critics who were playing dumb.

Arriving at Chih Nan Temple, the KMT’s Hou Yu-ih meets cheers from supporters. Hou came to pay homage to the temple’s Fuyou Emperor deity. His election rival Ko Wen-je showed up earlier in the day.

In an apparent effort to prevent embarrassment, temple officials scheduled separate arrival times for the two candidates. They also arranged for guests to be seated between them. After giving his speech, Ko made a quick exit, without engaging with Hou offstage. But he did spare a moment to criticize Hou for proposing a shorter conscription period of four months.

Ko Wen-je
Taiwan People’s Party presidential candidate
Especially when it comes to defense policy, you can’t just put something out there to test the waters. This is the direction of national defense strategy that we’re talking about. It’s not a matter you toss to the wind for a day or two. I don’t think that’s the way to go about it.

Hou Yu-ih
KMT presidential candidate
At this moment in time, I support the extended one-year military conscription period. If elected president, I will establish a mechanism promoting dialogue and mutual trust. After cross-strait relations are stable, then we can consider reinstating the four-month term. Currently there are people deliberately distorting and misunderstanding my remarks.

Hou stressed that his proposal was conditional, and he accused his critics of conveniently playing dumb. The fight for dominance continues in the opposition, with neither Hou nor Ko showing signs of retreat. Punches are landing in a bruising battle, all without help from the DPP.

2023-07-05

Experts warn of risks to privacy posed by home surveillance cameras

Indoor surveillance cameras have grown in popularity in recent years. Some people install them at home to keep track of vulnerable members of the household, such as children, older relatives, or even pets. But the growth of the industry has brought reports of criminal abuses of privacy. Many cheap cameras offer no privacy whatsoever, and the footage is available directly to the manufacturer of the camera. Other cameras may promise security but are liable to abuse by unscrupulous companies. We spoke to an expert to find out where the risks lie, and how to protect your privacy if you decide to install a camera at home.

This small surveillance camera costs less than NT$1,000. It connects to Wi-Fi and can be controlled remotely with a smartphone. People buy them to watch over pets, children or older relatives at home.

CCTV expert Ho Yen-shu says that real-time surveillance cameras like these send their footage to the server of the manufacturer and then on to the user’s phone. They offer no privacy whatsoever.

Ho Yen-shu
CCTV expert
It’s sent straight from this machine to the manufacturer’s server, and then we connect, and bring it down from the server to watch it. So there’s absolutely no privacy to speak of at all.

If you want to be sure that your footage isn’t leaked, you need to choose a camera with its own server and IP address.

Ho Yen-shu
CCTV expert
You set your own fixed IP address, and then connect your phone to the server. It will set up some backend firewalls and antivirus software to keep out unwanted hackers and attacks.

But some users report experiences where a malicious company sets up the camera and then copies the IP address, so they can steal the footage anyway.

Member of public
The manufacturer set it up secretly, and he could see my cloud data. I told him the quality of the footage was bad. He said to me, “I looked at it on my phone and it was fine, very clear.” And that’s when I realized that my cloud data had been secretly copied.

Ho Yen-shu
CCTV expert
This involves the personal ethics of the manufacturer, because it’s about the personal data of the customer.

Ho suggests that apart from demanding your manufacturer wipe their records of your IP address after it’s created, you should also set a new password before using the camera, for a double layer of privacy protection.

2023-07-05

Ceramics repair specialist teaches himself how to do repairs with metal

In this age of cheap shopping and disposable goods, repairing broken items is a rare skill. Today we meet one tea shop owner whose mission is to lovingly repair broken ceramics. Ku Yi-ping taught himself how to mend porcelain and pottery with lacquer and metal. After many years of gradually developing his trade, he’s known across Taiwan as one of the best in the industry. Let’s visit his workshop in Hsinchu’s Beipu Township to see how it’s done.

Many people will throw away a porcelain bowl as soon as it’s broken. But for Beipu tea ware expert Ku Yi-ping, it’s the start of a repair job.

He applies layers of raw lacquer to the crack and then secures the mend with an adhesive tape. When the lacquer is dry, he drills in a nail and files it down. This is how ceramics and pottery are mended with metal.

Ku Yi-ping
Tea ware store owner
It will take about a year to complete this bowl, for instance. This break will need at least 10 layers of lacquer.

The pots and cups in this tea shop are not new. They’re all unique and bear the signs of Ku’s repair work.

Ku Yi-ping
Tea ware store owner
This was cracked by accident. I thought, “How strange, it’s a shame to throw away such a nice bamboo item.”

When materials were scarcer, repair skills were highly valued. But in this era of cheap goods and garbage, the time and expertise it takes to repair items is in short supply. Ku looks up suitable repair materials and methods, investing great time and attention in each job. For him, material goods are something to cherish.

Ku Yi-ping
Tea ware store owner
Our current age is an age of materialism. In ancient times, firing a bowl was an extremely difficult thing.

His rarefied skills attract customers who share his desire to cherish objects fully. But one repair job can take up to a year. Sometimes the customer has forgotten the project by the time their item is returned.

Ku Yi-ping
Tea ware store owner
They’re very shocked when I tell them it’s ready. “Oh, I see! I was getting something repaired!”

The cracks in these goods reveal the history of their use, while Ku’s repair work is an investment in their future and a vote of confidence in the ways they’ll be used again.

2023-07-05

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Overhaul traffic officials’ schooling to reform confusing road markings: lawmaker

Strange and perplexing road markings are a common sight on Taiwan’s roads. From zebra crossings with concessions for scooters, to red lines that wiggle around random obstacles, pedestrians must be blase about idiosyncratic visual cues. But some people say enough is enough, and they’re calling for road markings that are in line with international standards. Among them is NPP lawmaker Chen Jiau-hua. She thinks a major problem lies with the schooling for traffic officials. It doesn’t require officials to learn the rules of road markings and that must change, Chen says.

The zebra crossing here has a chunk cut out of it. A third of the space is given over to a waiting zone for scooter riders. If the scooters spill out of that space, pedestrians must make a long-cut across the road.

Member of public
It doesn’t have much space. There’ll be a clash.

Member of public
I was walking over it, and I though the scooter was going to crash into us.

Why are Taiwan’s roads so chaotic? NPP lawmaker Chen Jiau-hua highlights one factor: the national traffic officials’ exam doesn’t require aspiring officials to learn how to design road markings.

Chen Jiau-hua
NPP lawmaker
There are few people who know how to paint the markings. It’s not a priority in the schools. They don’t teach it at departments of traffic science, or even in the national exam. That means many officials in traffic bureaus might not even know. If roads are marked properly, then actually many traffic incidents can be avoided.

The main school of traffic management in Taiwan is controlling traffic through signal lights. As Chen explains, many officials in central and local government, as well as consultants, don’t really understand road markings. Some regard them, with significant disdain, as mere “paintwork.”

Voice of Lin Chih-hsueh
Taiwan Traffic Safe Association
The exam mostly asks for small essays. Some people are saying it should test people on drawing diagrams. Give the student a junction and get them to draw some markings to show how to manage it. If they can’t draw the markings, then it’s very hard to define how the flow of traffic should work on that road.

Taiwan has a notorious reputation as “hell for pedestrians.” To turn over a new leaf, tougher punishments for bad driving are needed, as well as an overhaul of issues in road markings, and an upgrade of the entire system in line with international advancements.

2023-07-05

Man opens enigmatic rice ball stall in Taitung to protect his health

A rice ball maker in Taitung has an unusual approach to business. Yu Chieh moved to Taitung to open a rice ball stall, to get out of the smog of the big city, and escape the digital career that was damaging his health. Now his stall is a perfect snack spot for neighbors. It’s so popular that he often packs up before his opening hours end. That can lead to disappointed customers. But he has an enigmatic system to let neighbors know, from far and wide, that the rations are all gone for the day.

Triangular rice balls sizzle in the deep-frier. The stall owner is flipping them over constantly, until both sides have a crispy golden skin. Then he lifts them up and sprinkles on some flavorings.

The little stall has been running here in front of this house for four years. It’s a must-visit among locals. The owner, Yu Chieh, comes from Kaohsiung. He moved to Taitung with his child to escape the big city.

Yu Chieh
Rice ball stall owner
It was all about health problems. One is my child has respiratory allergies, another is my eyes. So that’s why we decided to move here, and I switched into a different lane, not staring at screens anymore.

The owner previously worked in bridal photography in Kaohsiung. But during a health checkup, a doctor told him that continuing his line of work could lead to macular degeneration. Meanwhile, his child was frequently getting allergic reactions to the air pollution of the city. So he decided to quit his job, move to Taitung, and open a rice ball stall. At first he just made cold rice balls, but he kept on improving them over two years, and gained a loyal clientele. Sometimes he’s so busy that he sells out before the day is over. He doesn’t want customers to come down to the stall and be disappointed, so he came up with this signaling system…

Yu Chieh
Rice ball stall owner
We haven’t put up a sign. Seventy to eighty percent of our custom is local. When the neighbors look from far off, if they can see the red chair, that means there’s rice balls left. If they look from far off and see I’ve put the chair away, that means they needn’t come down anymore.

This giant red camping chair initially served as a temporary stall sign. Now it’s become a popular spot for taking selfies and an attraction for customers. And as long as the red chair is out, there’s enough for everyone.

2023-07-05

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2023-07-05