tEye On Taiwan

Smart Home Market Poised to Grow Rapidly by 2025, Led by Wi-Fi Connectivity Adoption Posted: 21 Apr 2020 11:36 AM PDT More than six-billion Wi-Fi capable smart home devices to be shipped between 2020-2025 PR Newswire Date: Apr 21, 2020 By: Counterpoint Research  BOSTON, TORONTO, LONDON, NEW DELHI, BEIJING, TAIPEI and SEOUL, April 21, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — According to Counterpoint's latest Smart Home research, the global smart home market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 21% from 2019-2025. The strongest growth areas include white goods, smart lighting, and home automation segments as more household items become connected to a smart home ecosystem. Sharing the research findings, Research Analyst Maurice Klaehne, noted, "The current smart home market is dominated by three categories, smart TV, security cameras, and smart speakers. Each of these markets has different drivers which have made them successful. Smart TVs have seen great adoption in North America and China as streaming media options such as Netflix or iQiyi have grown in popularity over the years. Connected TVs are also challenging conventional cable viewing habits and making people 'cut the cord', and, COVID-19 pandemic will further accelerate this trend. "For security cameras, price reductions in connected cameras have enabled more people to purchase cameras for their home to offer additional layers of security and peace of mind. Lastly, smart speakers have been one of the fastest-growing markets to date due to the low barrier to entry for consumers satisfying multiple use-cases from streaming music to personal voice assistant services such as Alexa, Google Assistant, AliGenie, Siri, and others. Connected white goods and smart lighting systems will be the fastest-growing segments and see strong adoption to drive convenience, help manage energy consumption and assist in product maintenance and care."    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan expands special budget for economic relief to NT$210 billion Posted: 21 Apr 2020 11:30 AM PDT Legislative Yuan approves additional NT$150 billion to boost Taiwan’s economy Taiwan News Date: 2020/04/21 By: Ching-Tse Cheng, Taiwan News, Staff Writer Legislative Yuan passes review for expanded economic relief budget on Tuesday.  (CNA photo) TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Legislative Yuan on Tuesday (April 21) passed the review for the expanded economic relief budget, hoping the additional NT$150 billion (US$4.99 billion) could help soften the economic blow caused by the coronavirus pandemic. In an effort to alleviate the financial burden felt by the country's industries, Taiwan's Cabinet announced April 2 a revised version of the emergency economic stimulus package totaling NT$1.05 trillion (US$34.64 billion). The updated relief budget would not only include the original NT$60 billion allotment, but also an NT$150 billion increase in the special budget as well as more than NT$800 billion in loans from government-owned banks and financial institutions, according to Liberty Times. After much discussion between legislators of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and main opposition party Kuomintang (KMT), the increased budget was approved Tuesday. The lawmakers also agreed that a maximum amount of NT$210 billion can be added to the budget later if needed. In regards to the NT$2 billion (US$66.1 million) worth of stimulus coupons that the government plans on distributing, the KMT's new chairman, Johnny Chiang (江啟臣), said that cash subsidies may be more effective in encouraging consumption. Meanwhile, Chiu Hsien-chih (邱顯智) of the New Power Party (NPP) also reminded the government to provide financial support for nonprofit organizations in the country as well.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan shares plunge on economic concerns Posted: 21 Apr 2020 11:27 AM PDT Focus Taiwan Date: 04/21/2020 By: Frances Huang Taipei, April 21 (CNA) Shares in Taiwan moved sharply lower across the board Tuesday, falling almost 3 percent to end below 10,300 points, with market sentiment spooked by heavy losses on U.S. markets in the wake of diving crude oil prices, dealers said. Unconfirmed reports in the international media that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is in critical condition after heart surgery triggered more selling as investors grew concerned over potential geopolitical instability, they said. The weighted index on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE) or the Taiex closed down 298.29 points, or 2.82 percent, at 10,288.42, after moving between 10,278.95 and 10,544.80, on turnover of NT$183.28 billion (US$6.11 billion). The market opened down 0.40 percent and selling escalated in response to a 2.44 percent plunge on the Dow Jones Industrial Average overnight after a massive tumble in May oil futures in New York amid concerns over the global economy during the COVID-19 pandemic, dealers said.    [FULL  STORY]

Virus Outbreak: Pou Chen mulls pay cuts, furloughs Posted: 21 Apr 2020 11:24 AM PDT RUNNING OUT OF STEAM: The world’s top athletic shoes maker said that it still needs the consent of its workers’ union as well as the government to make a final decision Taipei Times Date: Apr 22, 2020 By: Crystal Hsu / Staff reporter New Balance shoes are worn by the Los Angeles Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard during the second half of a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Jan. 14. Photo: AFP Pou Chen Corp (寶成工業), the world’s largest maker of sports shoes, apparel and accessories, is mulling pay cuts and furloughs for its Taiwanese employees as orders slump amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Taichung-based company — whose clients include Nike Inc, Adidas AG, Puma AG, New Balance Athletic Shoe Inc and Timberland Co — is contemplating temporary pay cuts of 10 percent, furloughs and other cost-saving measures that would affect 3,000 employees in Taiwan and officials based in overseas factories. Pou Chen spokesman Ho Ming-kun (何明坤) told reporters that the firm has not made a final decision, as it requires the consent of its workers’ union and the government. The 51-year-old company is seeking to furlough employees for six days per month for three months, which might be extended depending on how the pandemic pans out, Ho said.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan sees 3 new Panshih navy ship cases, bringing total to 425 Posted: 21 Apr 2020 11:20 AM PDT Radio Taiwan International Date: 21 April, 2020 By: Natalie Tso The army disinfecting the Panshih this week (CNA photo) Taiwan confirmed 3 new cases from the Panshih navy vessel on Tuesday, bringing the total of COVID-19 cases to 425. The cases included two men and one woman in their 20s and 30s who didn’t test positive until their second test.  A navy intern experienced symptoms on March 30 and lived in the same room with cases 396 and 397. He reported his symptoms on April 18 and tested negative. He then tested positive on April 20. The second case is a female sailor in her 30s. She had symptoms on April 5 which later disappeared.  When in quarantine, she tested negative on April 18, but later tested positive on April 20. The third case saw symptoms beginning March 23 but tested negative on April 18. He tested positive in a second test. [FULL  STORY]

80,000 donated surgical masks from Taiwan arrive in Estonia Posted: 21 Apr 2020 11:15 AM PDT ERR News Date: April 21, 2020 80,000 masks arriving from Taiwan. Source: Estonian Red Cross. On Tuesday, 80,000 masks sent from Taiwan arrived in Estonia to help protect people against the coronavirus (COVID-19) which will be distributed on the country's western islands. The 80,000 surgical masks were sent as a donation from Tawain to the Estonian Red Cross (Eesti Punane Rist). They will be used in hospitals, nursing homes and the food industry. The organization wrote on it's Facebook group the donation was carried out in cooperation with the Estonian-Taiwan Friendship Group of the Riigikogu. The president of the Estonian Red Cross Harri Viik and the secretary general Arvi Perv along with Kalle Laanet, Chairman of the Estonian-Taiwan Friendship Group, accepted the donation at the Red Cross office in Tallinn on Tuesday.      [FULL  STORY]

YouTube restores deleted video of Taiwan’s indigenous children dancing in traditional garb Posted: 21 Apr 2020 11:07 AM PDT Island residents protest against YouTube, saying, 'Is it very difficult to respect cultural differences?' Taiwan News Date: 2020/04/21 By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer (顏子矞YouTube photo) TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — YouTube has restored a video of Taiwanese indigenous children dancing in traditional thongs, after deleting it on the grounds that its content was a breach of the terms and conditions stipulated by the video sharing site. CNA reported on Tuesday (April 21) that the video posted by Yan Zi-yu (顏子矞), a teacher at the Yayu Elementary School in Lanyu Township off the coast of Taitung, had been taken down by YouTube, which left Yan astonished and baffled and sparked protests from island residents. Yan received a message from YouTube on April 16, which said that the site had deleted the video after receiving complaints, the report said. The teacher said, “I guess they deemed the scantily dressed children to be a violation of social norms,” filing a complaint of his own to YouTube.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan ranks 43rd in 2020 world press freedom rankings, down 1 place Posted: 21 Apr 2020 11:04 AM PDT Focus Taiwan Date: 04/21/2020 By: Elizabeth Hsu (CNA file photo) Taipei, April 21 (CNA) Taiwan was ranked 43rd on the World Press Freedom Index compiled by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) for 2020, down one notch from the previous year. Despite the regression, Taiwan is one of just four countries in the Asia-Pacific region that fall in the "good" and "fairly good" categories of the index, following New Zealand (ninth), Australia (26th) and South Korea (42nd), according to the 2020 index published Tuesday. In its analysis on press freedom in Taiwan, the RSF said that political interference there "is rare and less tolerated, but Taiwan's journalists are suffering from a very polarized media environment dominated by sensationalism and the pursuit of profit." "Although President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has said she wants to continue developing press freedom in Taiwan, few concrete measures have been taken to improve journalistic editorial independence and encourage the media to raise the quality of public debate," the France-based international organization said.    [FULL  STORY]

YouTube removes Tao dance video Posted: 21 Apr 2020 10:59 AM PDT Taipei Times Date: Apr 22, 2020 By: Huang Ming-tang and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writer A screen grab taken from YouTube on Monday shows a notification that a video featuring Aboriginal children dancing in traditional outfit at Yayu Elementary School in Taitung County’s Orchid Island has been blocked due to inappropriate content. Photo: Huang Ming-tang, Taipei Times YouTube has deleted a video showing Tao elementary-school students on Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) dancing in traditional attire after it was erroneously flagged for “obscenity,” the children’s teacher said yesterday. Yayu Elementary School teacher Yan Tzu-yu (顏子矞) said that when he logged into the school’s YouTube account recently, he was greeted with a message saying that a video he uploaded in 2018 of the children performing a Tao dance to mark the construction of a new classroom had been removed. The video was flagged by a user, and after a review by YouTube staff was found to have breached the platform’s community standards, the message read. Yan said the misunderstanding likely stemmed from the Tao clothing worn by the children in the video. Traditional clothing for Tao males is a cloth tied around the lower body in a manner resembling a modern-day thong, but does not carry any of the implications of a thong in Tao culture, he said. [FULL  STORY]

229 Taiwanese return from Hubei in second special flight this week Posted: 21 Apr 2020 10:54 AM PDT Focus Taiwan Date: 04/21/2020 By: Shen Peng-ta and Joseph Yeh Taipei, April 21 (CNA) A total of 229 Taiwan nationals, previously stranded in China's Hubei province due to the COVID-19 outbreak, returned to the country on a special flight late Tuesday and were immediately placed in quarantine. The government-contracted China Airlines (CAL) flight departed Shanghai's Pudong International Airport around 7:30 p.m. and arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at 9:11 p.m. Upon arrival, the 229 Taiwan nationals, 175 adults and 54 children, according to the Border Control Corps, received a health check at a provisional facility at the airport and were sent to a designated quarantine site, where they will serve their two-week quarantine period. Before the plane took-off from Shanghai, four Taiwanese who were originally scheduled to take the flight were found holding expired travel documents and unable to leave China, according to the Taipei-based Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) which arranged the flight.    [FULL  STORY]