TSC considering expanding in Texas, Kumamoto, Czechia

TSC considering expanding in Texas, Kumamoto, Czechia

2024-03-05

Semiconductor and optoelectronic materials leader TSC on Tuesday held its spring press conference. Group Chair J.W. Kuo announced the company had planned on following TSMC’s suit, and setting up a production line in the U.S. state of Arizona. He says that amid a variety of challenges, the company is intending to move to Texas instead, with an initial investment of between US$5 and US$10 million. Let’s hear from him.

J.W. Kuo
TSC chair
I went to Arizona in January. It would indeed be very tough to set up a factory there. We originally wanted to have two or three plants. We had to find people but it was very difficult. TSMC’s progress there is also quite slow. I think there’s a bigger market in Texas.

The company says that in Texas, it would be close to clients such as Texas Instruments, Samsung, NXP Semiconductors and Global Wafers. The firm is also considering following TSMC by setting up a plant in Kumamoto. It may also establish a presence in the Czech capital, Prague, which is near TSMC’s plant in Germany at just 45 minutes away by high speed rail.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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崇越有意赴德州.熊本設廠插旗布拉格評估中

2024-03-05

半導體及光電材料大廠崇越集團舉辦新春記者會，董事長郭智輝談到，原本崇越跟隨台積電，打算在亞利桑那設產線，但發現當地挑戰多，有意轉往德州，第一期預計投資500到1000萬美金。

[[崇越科技集團董事長郭智輝]]
“元月份跑了一趟亞利桑那州，確實是非常辛苦的一個工廠，我們本來在那邊就是要有2、3個工廠，我們要找人，其實是有一定的困難，台積電的速度也比較慢，我想德州有很大的市場。”

轉往德州，考量有德州儀器、三星、恩智浦和環球晶等客戶。另外，跟進台積電，崇越考慮在日本熊本設清洗廠，也正評估到捷克布拉格插旗，因為距離台積電德國廠，高鐵只要45分鐘。

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民視台灣台（152頻道）週日至週五晚上9:30
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President Tsai and President-elect Lai meet with Michigan governor

Just last September Michigan state governor Gretchen Whitmer came to Taiwan, and now she’s back again. The governor sat with President Tsai Ing-wen on Tuesday, after meeting President-elect Lai Ching-te one day before. During the meet with Tsai, she formally announced the opening of a Michigan trade office in Taiwan.

The interpreter was mid-sentence when Tsai suddenly got to her feet to shake hands with Michigan State Governor Gretchen Whitmer, wishing her a fruitful visit during her two days in Taiwan. This was actually Whitmer’s second visit to Taiwan, with the first coming just last September. This time around, Whitmer and Tsai announced the opening of a Michigan trade office in Taiwan.

Tsai Ing-wen
President
The state of Michigan is a major center for the world’s automobile industry. Currently, many companies in Taiwan’s automobile parts industry have chosen to take their investments to Michigan and to establish service branches there. During her visit this time, Governor Whitmer has announced that Michigan will be opening a trade office in Taiwan. I believe this will further strengthen our bilateral trade relationship.

Gretchen Whitmer
Michigan governor
It is great to see Michigan companies investing in Taiwan and Taiwan companies investing in Michigan.

During Tsai’s eight years as president, Taiwan-U.S. relations have developed extensively. With Taiwan’s transition to the new government currently ongoing, today Governor Whitmer met up with the current president and, on Monday, she chatted with the president-elect.

Lai Ching-te
Vice president
Although Taiwan possesses an advantage in the semi-conductor industry, we still believe that because of our semi-conductors that we have a greater responsibility to help bring economic prosperity to the world. In the future we really hope that Taiwan and Michigan can collaborate in the tech industry, and that Taiwan’s semi-conductors and Michigan’s automobile industry can experience growth together in what’ll be a win-win relationship.

Gretchen Whitmer
Michigan governor
And we’ve been pleased to announce on this trip, as well, that three Taiwanese firms are growing their footprint in the state of Michigan, and so we are so pleased and happy to be with you and celebrating, hopefully, a very promising, exciting year ahead for Taiwan and for Michigan in the Year of the Dragon.

With Tsai’s term coming to an end in May, she is passing the baton of diplomacy to Lai. Both Taiwan and the U.S. look forward to fostering closer connections at both the local and national levels in order to create business and trade opportunities.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

2024-03-05

155 new Marine conscripts are first cohort in years to have one-year service

Back in 2013, compulsory military service was shortened to just four months, but now military service has been extended back to one year. Despite this change, new conscripts report that they’re ready for the myriad challenges they’ll be facing in training, and Marine Corps’ leadership is implementing a holistic approach that’ll meet the physical and psychological needs of conscripts.

Compulsory military service has been extended back to one year, and the first batch of soldiers reported for boot camp at the Marine Corps’ training center in Pingtung County. This cohort of conscripts has 155 young men, who early in the morning came to the training center with civilian bags in their hands. They’ll be training here for eight weeks.

Shih I-le
New conscript
I’m happy to be able to train here and keep working hard at improving.

Chiang Shih-hsiang
New conscript
By coming here I’ll be able to get stronger physically.

They came to this camp with their regular hairstyles, but they’re now sporting fresh buzz cuts. The military service has been extended from four months back to one year, and the new system’s first batch of marine conscripts are ready for any challenges coming their way. And the officers are more than prepared to make sure these new conscripts feel at ease during training.

Chiang Po-chien
Training center drill sergeant
I’ll be upholding our principles of being patient, empathetic, and compassionate towards conscripts, which we’ll implement through our educational training and counseling. We’re looking to ensure these conscripts will be able to acclimate themselves to troop life as soon as possible so that they can be fully focused during boot camp. Over the length of the courses we’ll be teaching, we’ll separate conscripts into groups to have classes on risk management. We want these men to have safe trainings, and we’ll have strict, but not severe, standards for them when they’re completing all the educational training we’ve prepared for them.

Miao Chi-min
Training center company commander
For this eight-week boot camp, we’ve divided it into four phases of training. The first phase is for soldier’s core values and battle fitness; the second phase includes rifle shooting and training courses for swimming; the third phase is battle training; and the fourth phase is integrated battle training. We hope that through this step-by-step approach that we’ll be able to make every one of these trainees a qualified infantry soldier.

Despite mandatory military service being re-extended to one year, it seems that both conscripts and their officers are ready to shape soldiers who are both physically and mentally strong.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

2024-03-05

A tour of Taipei City Council, and its amazing gym facilities

How often do you get a peek inside someone else’s office? You never know what facilities an employer might have tucked away. Today we have a very special tour around Taipei City Council, and a chance to admire its amazing sports facilities. From a gym, and swimming pool to a basketball court, there’s a plethora of options for city councilors who need to let off steam.

Taipei City Council sits on an iconic section of Ren’ai Road. But have you ever been inside? We often see city councilors battling it out over the debating floor, but today let’s get a different view inside the building.

The councilor speaker himself leads us in.

The corridors of the first floor are full of art, the walls packed with calligraphy and paintings. Different exhibitions periodically occupy the space. On the second floor is a surprise.

City Councilor Wang Chih-ping sweats as she gets into the game. She’s a frequent player in the ping pong room.

Wang Chih-ping
Taipei City councilor (KMT)
I started playing table tennis in the last three years, from zero. Basically, I rely on lots of colleagues in the council, because they play really well and they’re teaching me.

Li Fang-ju
Taipei City councilor (KMT)
Lots of the time, we play with the staff, when we have a spare moment. It helps us train our fitness. Then we have more energy to speak up for our citizens in the assembly hall.

That’s not all. A gym is just next door, with lots of professional equipment, to keep the councilors fit and healthy. And downstairs…

A standard swimming pool. President Ma Ying-jeou frequently came here during his time as mayor. Ganghu councilor and singer Kao Chia-yu kept her lung strength solid here too.

The building also contains a standard basketball court. Councilor Lin Yen-feng is dribbling the ball down the court.

She hits the shot. It looks like she sneaks in here pretty often.

Lin Yen-feng
Taipei City councilor (DPP)
You can see the facilities of the city council, the basketball court, the multifunctional gym. They’re pretty good, actually, they’re great. We can spend time with the assistants of other councilors and I think that it’s a great way to interact.

Tai Hsi-chin
Taipei City council speaker
What most of the public will be most familiar with in city council is probably the debating hall, where we have our normal meetings. The hall has lots of other facilities too, including the gym facilities we provide for councilors and staff. Of course, it’s open to visit for the public too.

So now you know. This building, the site of so many important deliberations over 30 years, is also a place for games.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

2024-03-05

Air traffic back to normal at Taoyuan International Airport after days of mass disruptio

Air traffic is back to normal at Taoyuan International Airport, after repairs on its southern runway wrapped up on Monday evening. Originally the repairs were supposed to end on Tuesday, but after hundreds of flight disruptions through the previous two days, the transport ministry gave an order to speed up the project. On Tuesday, lawmakers from several parties weighed in on the fiasco, criticizing the unpreparedness of the airport.

The check-in counter is packed. Runway repairs at Taoyuan International Airport have disrupted many flights over the past two days. Now that work has finally wrapped up, planes are once again taking off and landing on the repaired southern runway. Both runways at the airport are open again, but some passengers remain concerned.

Traveler
I’m the kind of person who’d rather be prepared, so I came here one hour earlier.

Traveler
I was afraid my flight would be affected.

Some arrived extra early to the airport in case their flight got disrupted. The runway repairs have become a hot topic in Taiwan. Originally the work had been scheduled to close the runway for 54 hours, from March 3 to March 5. But after an order was given to speed up the process, the construction work was completed by 9 p.m. on March 4, 19 hours ahead of schedule. And that’s not the end of the matter.

Lin Szu-ming
KMT lawmaker
Taoyuan International Airport is the gateway to Taiwan. How come there was such a major oversight? All we can say is that the Taoyuan International Airport Corporation and the Ministry of Transportation and Communications have a screw loose. It’s ludicrous. Could it be that there are major problems with the management of the airport? In four years it has dropped 69 spots in international rankings.

Hung Meng-kai
KMT lawmaker
We’ve seen negligence in management, mismanagement, and no planning for foreseeable disasters. Someone must take political responsibility for this.

Wang Kwo-tsai
Transport minister
Runway maintenance is a very important part of aviation safety. Taoyuan International Airport operates 24 hours a day, so runway maintenance will inevitably affect some flights. Though we had discussed the matter with airlines, passengers were not informed, so passengers had big complaints.

Rosalia Wu
DPP lawmaker
The Taoyuan International Airport Corporation shouldn’t hide behind the transport ministry. They should take responsibility. When it comes to routine runway repairs, they can’t just issue an announcement and call it a day.

Lawmakers from the KMT and DPP have voiced criticism of how the repairs were handled, stressing that, as the gateway to Taiwan, the airport shapes many people’s impression of the country.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

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Hotels mushroom in Ximen as international tourism recovers

International visitors are returning to Taiwan, and for many of them a trip to Ximen in the capital is a must. According to Taipei city data, more than 3.72 million people visited Ximen last year. The location is also a prime spot for hotels, with many international chains now setting up branches in the shopping district. But some hoteliers say the government should crack down on illegal operators who are making money off tourists at the expense of personal safety.

A street performer strums his guitar. Ximen is a popular place with the young crowd, and also with tourists. For many, a picture with the rainbow on the road is a must, and queues often form here.

Tourist
South Korea
I think it’s really colorful and fashionable, like Hongdae, or Itaewon.

Tourist
Malaysia
It’s seems like a place for young people. It feels youthful here.

Tourist
New Zealand
I just arrived in Taiwan and I just wanted to walk around. It seems popular.

The transport ministry says that since Taiwan reopened to international tourism, Hong Kong, Macao, Japan and South Korea have become the main source of travelers for Taiwan. According to Taipei city data, more than 3.72 million people visited Ximen in 2023. Local businesses are pulling all the stops to profit from the influx of tourists.

Hsiao Chun-chieh
Taipei tourism official
There’s about 120 hotels in Ximen. They’re mostly small- and medium-sized hotels as well as youth hostels. In recent years, some international hotel chains have determined that Ximen is a good place for expansion, and they’ve been opening their first outlets there.

Look at the map and you’ll find the highest concentration of hotels is the stretch from Zhonghua Road Sec. 1 to Xining South Road. It’s mostly small- and medium-sized hotels. A room with just 5 pings of floor space can accommodate two bunk beds, a convenient stay for people who pack light. But hoteliers say that illegal accommodation businesses are eating away at their profits. One says that he can’t fill in every bed in the peak season even if he drops room prices to just a couple NT$100 per night.

Mike
Hotelier
The government could step in and provide guidance to guarantee the safety of guests.

Tourism is recovering, and visitors are pouring back in to Ximen. Hoteliers say they hope the government will crack down on illegal operators to ensure the safety of visitors.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

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US hydroponics gardener teaches how to grow organic produce

Today we meet a hydroponics expert from the U.S., Anthony Owens. He gave up a career in international trade to dedicate himself to hydroponics with his Taiwanese wife. It began with just one greenhouse. But as his produce began to spread, more and more people wanted to buy it. Then came the opportunity to teach what he knows. Owens is thrilled to have found such a meaningful second career.

Here in the greenhouse, Anthony Owens grows organic hydroponics, including lots of veggies that you won’t find in most stores. He started because every time he came here to visit his wife’s family, he smelled a strong scent of pesticides in the air, which made him start thinking about what farming vegetables without toxic chemicals might be like.

Anthony Owens
Gardener and American immigrant
We also do it in gardens at community colleges. It went really well when we first began, and we got more and more produce. We couldn’t eat it all ourselves. So we gave it to friends and family, and they gave it to their friends, and in the end, people were asking me, “Can I buy your vegetables?” I thought, “What? You want to buy them?” “Yeah, they’re delicious and healthy!” I said, “Okay, I’ve never thought of selling them, but sure!”

Owens’s friends say he has green fingers, and everything he grows flourishes. That talent gave him the courage to pursue his gardening dream, renting a disused greenhouse and renovating it. In his first year, however, he encountered a greenfly crisis which destroyed all his hard work. But he and his wife never considered quitting. They now provide food and farming education to raise awareness about hydroponics.

Anthony Owens
Gardener and American immigrant
I’m so happy working on it. I listen to music. I can control the temperature – I’m very happy. Maybe other kids will see it and think “I could do that!” We’ve done the right thing. Whatever I think, kids, I’m doing the right thing now – it’s helping the environment, the individuals, families, and the whole world. We’re absolutely tiny. I hope we can get bigger and bigger.

Owens has come from life as a businessman in the U.S. to a farming life in Taiwan. It was a life change he never saw coming. But he loves his new work and is confident it’s the right path. Not only is he growing healthy food for his loved ones, he’s also spreading his knowledge, lesson by lesson.

This story was provided by the program "We Are Family"
Funded by New Immigrant Development Fund

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

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