Texas governor and Taiwan minister sign economic cooperation pact and open rep office

Texas governor and Taiwan minister sign economic cooperation pact and open rep office

2024-07-07

The governor of the U.S. State of Texas, Greg Abbott is in Taiwan with a delegation made up of his wife, state officials and legislators, and 23 business representatives. After meeting with President Lai Ching-te Sunday morning, the governor attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony with economics minister J.W. Kuo at the newly established State of Texas Office in Taiwan. The two officials also signed a statement of intent on economic cooperation. The governor emphasized that Texas and quote, "the country of Taiwan" stand together and that the two can achieve great results in the chip, energy and EV industries.

Texas governor Greg Abbott led a delegation to Taiwan for the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the newly established State of Texas Office in Taiwan. He and economics minister J.W. Kuo also signed a statement of intent on economic cooperation to strengthen economic and trade relations between the two sides.

J.W. Kuo
Economics minister
In recent years, TSMC and Global Wafers have set up factories in the U.S., and this has allowed their supply-chain factories to set up shop the U.S. as well. Many of them are small and medium-sized enterprises. In the future, the economics ministry will help enterprises expand overseas by bringing large enterprises together with their smaller supply-chain companies.

Greg Abbott
Texas governor
This is the first foreign office that we will have opened this century with the only exception being Mexico. Of the more than 160 countries across the globe, Texas understands the importance of establishing an economic office in the country of Taiwan.

Governor Abbott emphasized that Taiwan is a world leader in semiconductor manufacturing, while Texas is a semiconductor center in the United States. The two sides have had cooperation in energy and electric vehicles. The state government also offers low tax incentives to attract Taiwanese factories and talents. According to statistics, Taiwan’s direct investment in Texas in 2022 was close to US$5.3 billion, or more than NT$150 billion.

J.W. Kuo
Economics minister
By signing this pact, we can implement what I have said about the dual role of the government: one is to assist enterprises to go abroad, and the other is to introduce foreign manufacturers into Taiwan. We will take this opportunity to express to the United States that this is the direction we hope to work toward in the future.

Greg Abbott
Texas governor
It is important for the entire world to know Texas stands with Taiwan. Because of the size of Texas’ economy, it will be a beacon across the entire globe about a state and a country showing the importance of the relationship between Texas and Taiwan.

Abbott has repeatedly declared that his state and Taiwan are standing together to create more investment opportunities and deepen the friendship between Taiwan and the United States.

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

美國德州駐台辦事處成立州長承諾:與台灣站在一起

2024-07-07

美國德州州長艾伯特率團訪台，早上先與總統賴清德會面，中午與經濟部長郭智輝，一同出席德州駐台辦事處剪綵活動。雙方更簽署"經濟發展意向聲明"，有助於深化經貿關係，州長多次強調，德州與台灣站在一起，未來在半導體、能源和電動車產業，能共創佳績。

美國德州駐台辦事處正式成立，州長艾伯特率團親自來台剪綵，並與經濟部長郭智輝，簽經濟發展意向聲明，要強化雙方經貿關係。

[[經濟部長郭智輝]]
“近年台積電以及環球晶到美國設廠，同時也會帶動相關的供應鏈廠赴美，這裡面有很多是中小企業，經濟部未來將透過以大帶小的方式，協助業者海外布局”

[[德州州長格雷格‧艾伯特]]
“這是德州這個世紀以來，除了墨西哥以外，第一個海外辦事處，全球超過160個國家中，德州深知與台灣這個國家，設立經濟辦事處的重要性”

州長強調，台灣半導體世界第一，德州則是美國半導體重鎮，在能源和電動車方面也有合作。政府更祭出低稅優惠，吸引台廠和人才。根據統計，2022年台灣在德州直接投資，近53億美元，超過台幣1500億。

[[經濟部長郭智輝]]
“簽署，大概可以落實我所講的境外關內，境內關外的方向，趁著這次的機會，向美方來表示，這是我們希望的，將來努力的一個方向”

[[德州州長格雷格‧艾伯特]]
“這是非常重要的，要讓全世界知道，德州與台灣站在一起，由於德州經濟規模相當大，一個州與國家之間，德州與台灣顯現，這個關係的重要性，將如同全球燈塔般照耀”

艾伯特多次宣示，德州與台灣站在一起，創造更多經濟投資機會，深化台美友好情誼。

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民視台灣台（152頻道）週日至週五晚上9:30
民視新聞台（53頻道）週二至週六凌晨1:00

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Pingtung mud dome erupts for the second time this year spewing mud high into the air

A mud dome in Pingtung’s Wandan Township erupted Saturday night, with mud and fire spewing out of four vents for 10 hours straight. The mud was thrown three stories up into the air a spectacle that people from neighboring towns and cities came to behold. This was the second eruption of the mud dome in less than four months.

The mud dome erupted late at night, sending mud flowing out from the ground and even spewing it up into the air. Fire also shot up from the ground intermittently.

The eruption lasted into the next day, drawing crowds of people, some of whom travelled quite a distance to witness the natural phenomenon.

The eruption occurred in the fields surrounding Huangyuan Temple in Pingtung County’s Wandan Township. Mud spewed from four vents, and reached heights of around two to three stories. This was the dome’s second eruption this year, with the last one occurring less than four months ago.

Chang Pao-hui
Huang Yuan Temple
It’s not possible any longer to do any farming at the spot where it erupted.

Mud dome eruptions often affect rice crops and cause much misery for local residents. Fortunately, local farmers have just finished their harvest this time, and the eruption did not have a significant impact.

Chen Yu-yi
Wandan Township head
The year’s second harvest was just completed, and there was no damage to any crops.

The Central Weather Administration says it is monitoring the dome’s activity from equipment installed nearby that observes seismic activity.

Hsieh Lung-chin
Earth science teacher
This box here contains a seismograph. We are hoping to find a connection between mud domes and earthquakes, but there is no clear correlation as far as I know.

Vents continued to erupt into the early morning hours. Fortunately, firewalls were in place around the dome, but authorities say that the surrounding gutters may have to be cleared out later. It’s anyone’s guess when the next eruption will occur.

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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Manufacturers give scrap materials a second life

In the world of manufacturing, scrap materials are a common byproduct. All too often, this waste ends up in the incinerator, racking up carbon emissions and expensive disposal fees. But times are changing. As the government pushes to go net-zero by 2050, more manufacturers are working to turn trash into treasure, to incorporate waste back into the production cycle. How are they doing it? Tonight in our Sunday special, we explore the ingenious world of recycling.

Dolls, ornaments, and tote bags. These are the creations of a craft workshop, and they look fine enough to sell. It’s hard to believe they were all made of this tangle of textiles.

Before class, the students must extract each piece of fabric from the pile and roll it into a neat ball.

It’s a hassle compared to using store-bought yarn, but this material is free of charge. The workshop uses it to support environmental sustainability. All of the fabric is waste from industrial processes.

Creator
We really make full use of this waste. We only have one Earth, and we must take good care of it.

This initiative to turn waste fabric into handicrafts came from a textile factory in Taoyuan’s Guanyin District.

Every month, the factory produces more than 200,000 kilograms of textile, and it dyes another 450,000 kilograms. In the process, it creates a mountain of scrap fabric – a headache for business owner Huang Kuo-peng.

Huang Kuo-peng
Textile factory head
Each roll has a head and a tail that we need to cut off. Say that each piece we cut measures 10 centimeters. That means making 400,000 kilograms of textile results in more than 4,000 kilograms of waste.

Fabric heads, tails, and swatches account for some 15,000 kilograms of waste every month. In the past, it was all sent to the incinerator, at a cost of NT$120,000.

Huang Kuo-peng
Textile factory head
Burning it cost us money, and it created carbon emissions. So we thought about how we could avoid the incinerator and turn the waste into something usable.

Huang was inspired by a TV show in which the characters did crochet around their community. He thought that his factory’s stretchy fabric was perfect for handicrafts. So he gathered up the waste and donated it to locals and nonprofits. To encourage people to use the fabrics, he started up a free craft workshop.

Huang Kuo-peng
Textile factory head
It’s that is what CSR everyone is talking about these days. I took the money I was spending on incineration and multiplied it by two. I used that to fund those activities, paying for the best teachers to come and teach. When students go home, they take back some materials they used in class. This way, we quickly deal with the waste materials.

Today, the craft workshop uses up 3,000 kilograms of fabric each month. But that’s only one-fifth of the waste produced by the factory.

Huang Kuo-peng
Textile factory head
We had the idea to make floor cushions. Because there is always lots of material left over: the heads and tails of each roll, and other cuttings. There’s still this much left, all of this is waste fabric.

Pieces that are too short or otherwise unsuited for crafts can still be good as stuffing for dolls and floor cushions. They can also be used in rooftop gardens, as a water-retention layer that saves water and reduces the system’s weight.

Scrap waste is also an issue for this sports equipment factory. Many years ago, it began finetuning its production system to achieve a “circular economy.”

A sheet of blue foam is fed into the machine, which cuts it into water kickboards. Then each kickboard is popped out by hand. The process leaves a great deal of foam unused.

In February 2024, the factory adopted an intelligent cutting machine with automated speed control. Computer software is used to create optimal product arrangements. The machine can cut foam without compressing it, significantly reducing waste.

Lu Tung-hung
Sports equipment factory manager
A stamping knife will compress the foam, deforming the edges. That forces you to use more of the material to account for the deformation. With a stamping knife, one sheet will yield between eight and 10 boards. But using this machine, you can make more than 10.

Besides reducing waste at the source, the factory also strives to make use of its leftover materials.

Leftover EVA and PE plastic are fed into a recycling machine, which splices it into small pieces. Then all air is forcibly expelled, shrinking each piece into a tiny granule similar to the original material. Over at this end, bits of leather are rolled into larger pieces in a machine. Together, these two recycling machines can handle more than 1 ton of waste every day.

Cheng Kun
Sports equipment business head
We manufacture and market water and outdoor sports equipment. If the environment is destroyed, there would be nowhere for people to go, and our products would be pointless. We are already able to recycle and reuse some of this waste, turning it into surfboards, yoga mats, yoga rollers, and other sports equipment.

But 90% of Taiwan’s businesses are small and medium-sized enterprises. Even with the best of intentions, few businesses can afford to recycle at scale. Nonprofits have been stepping in to buy waste, providing a way for small businesses to dispose sustainably.

The pallets are covered with leather in a variety of colors and patterns. Most are leftover pieces from sampling. The pieces are too small to sell, but they’re perfect for the purposes of Lin Yu-chun and her partners.

Yeh I-ju
Instructor at sustainable design company
We take them and let our students turn them into products, such as water bottle carriers, smartphone pouches, and even backpacks, if the pieces are big enough. Backpacks like the one I’m using.

Lin’s sustainable design company specializes in eco-friendly bags and backpacks made of scrap materials. Instead of selling products directly, it runs workshops that teach people how to make them. This March, Lin was invited to return to her alma mater, National United University, to lead a workshop for juniors and seniors.

Armed with patterns, the students sift through a selection of leather scraps, seeking the right sizes and colors for their bucket bags.

Lin Yu-chun
Sustainable design company founder
In traditional industrial design, you design something and then you look for the materials to make it. We’re doing it the other way around. We’re starting with materials that are less valuable, materials that would otherwise end up in the garbage, and we’re seeing what we can make out of it.

But a single company can only process so much waste material. Lin believes that the key to sustainability is inspiring and teaching the public to recycle, through workshops like hers.

Lin Yu-chun
Sustainable design entrepreneur
We want people to see, “Hey, this is beautiful and new-looking material was about to be thrown out!” And we want to have them make something with their own hands, something they can use, something they will cherish ever the more. We hope that one day, we won’t need to run these workshops, because there will be no more scrap material.

In today’s consumer society, the goal of zero waste seems well out of reach. But every journey begins with the first step. If we can pause to consider the value of waste, before it reaches the incinerator, we open up possibilities for a more sustainable world.

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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Retired police man finds joy roasting coffee and growing staghorn ferns

A retired police officer from Nantou’s Mingjian Township has found fame in the community for his ambitious retirement projects. His whole apartment is covered with staghorn ferns, which he cultivates himself. The ferns come in many different varieties, and can grow expensive. But Chen Tsung-yu says it’s not about the money. His other great passion is coffee, and he lectures in the community about home roasting. Let’s head to Nantou to meet Chen, a man who’s living it up in his golden years.

Chen Tsung-yu loves staghorn ferns. After retiring from the world of policing, the autodidact developed his own cultivation techniques. Less than a year later, pots of ferns are proliferating over two floors of his home.

Chen Tsung-yu
Amateur gardener
I think they’re the most beautiful fern. I started it up from pure interest. And as I grew them, I got more and more into it and cultivated lots of different varieties. I buy them myself and put them up myself.

The house is covered in staghorn ferns, whose name comes from their long horn-shaped leaves. It makes this apartment look like it has a lush garden.

Neighbour of Chen Tsung-yu
I often go and look in garden stores, and they don’t grow ferns as beautiful as his.

Chen says there are over 100 varieties of staghorn ferns. They’ve become very popular in recent years. Some varieties of the fern can cost over NT$1 million per plant, but Chen says he’s not interested in the money.

Chen Tsung-yu
Amateur gardener
Honestly, we’re new to it, and we’re just starting out with the cheap ones. It’s not about conspicuous consumption or anything like that.

Chen is also a coffee fan. He bought his own coffee machine and started a small coffee workshop. He gives lectures on coffee roasting at the local community college. His new status as coffee connoisseur has taken him quite by surprise.

Chen Tsung-yu
Amateur gardener
I just thought, “I’m drinking so much of this every day, why don’t I roast my own?” So I bought a coffee roaster and we do our own home roasting.

This retired police officer has found ways to keep learning new fields and making the most of his golden years of retirement as a caffeine expert and balcony gardener.

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

2024-07-07