Taiwan

At the beginning of the pandemic in early 2020, Elephant Gym decided to slow things down and sort through their feelings. Their latest album "Dreams" is the culmination of this two-year detour. (Photo by Chiaki Machida)
Life

Elephant Gym ready to emerge from Taiwan's COVID cocoon

Taiwanese band heading to Fuji Rock on the heels of new album release

9 July 2022
Stream article image
#techAsia

Waiting on Washington and China's unwitting hackers

The inside story on the Asia tech trends that matter, from Nikkei Asia and the Financial Times

7 July 2022
An engineer works at the Taiwan Semiconductor Research Institute in Hsinchu.
Technology

Taiwan R&D is a corporate affair as basic research takes a back seat

Study shows how TSMC and Foxconn stay on top, but long-term problems loom

6 July 2022
U.S. President Joe Biden meets with business leaders to discuss legislation about manufacturing more semiconductor chips in America in Washington D.C. on March 9.
Semiconductors

Chip giants threaten to scale back U.S. expansion without subsidies

Intel, TSMC and others issue warnings as CHIPS Act stalls in Congress

5 July 2022
Satellite image of the Taiwan Strait in October 2018; At least an 85-kilometer-wide stretch should be considered as international waters.
Opinion

Japan should send its naval ships through the Taiwan Strait

Such a move would strengthen the international rules-based order

5 July 2022
This is where one of Taiwan's largest companies will develop next-generation semiconductor technology. The facilities, in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, were built with across-the-board support from Japan. (Source photos by Ryosuke Eguchi and Keiichiro Asahara)
Semiconductors

Will TSMC take Japanese taxpayer money and run?

As Tsukuba R&D center opens, doubts remain about government's $140m outlay

3 July 2022
U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot speaks during a House Judiciary Committee hearing in 2019.
Interview

U.S. lawmaker urges better intelligence sharing with Taiwan

House Asia subcommittee's Chabot says Biden fails to match rhetoric with resources

1 July 2022
RIMPAC exercises in 2018. A total of 26 countries are set to join the drills. (U.S. Navy via Reuters) 
Indo-Pacific

U.S. kicks off 26-nation Pacific naval exercise without Taiwan

RIMPAC will include 25,000 personnel in monthlong drill

30 June 2022
Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC says it spent around $1 billion in 2021, or around 1.7% of its revenue, on green initiatives. 
Semiconductors

TSMC struggles to keep new hires, warns of power supply risks

Taiwan chip titan spent $1bn on green initiatives last year, its own report shows

30 June 2022
Samsung Electronics saw inventory grow 13% in the quarter to end-March from the preceding three months, while Ford Motor's stock increased by 21% over the same period. (Source photos Getty Images and AFP/Jiji) 
Supply Chain

Manufacturing inventory hits record $1.8tn worldwide

From Samsung to Ford, manufacturers face weak demand, supply chain disruptions

28 June 2022
Taiwanese company GlobalWafers aims to open a plant for 300-mm chip wafers in the U.S. state of Texas as soon as 2025. 
Semiconductors

GlobalWafers to build $5bn U.S. plant after Siltronic bid fails

Washington scores major win for forging chip supply chain onshore

28 June 2022
A Taiwan Power Co. (Taipower) transformer station in Taipei: The utility has been under heavy financial pressure.
Inflation

Taiwan's first power price hike in 4 years jolts chip sector

Rate increase on heavy users comes as industry faces inflation, demand woes

27 June 2022
As of June 22, MSCI AC Asia ex-Japan index -- a gauge of the region's most-tracked stocks outside of Japan -- had dropped around 18% this year compared to the last six months of 2021 -- the biggest half-year decline since late 2011.
Market Spotlight

Inflation, supply chain disruptions dampen Asian stocks

Interest hikes in emerging markets create uncertainties this year

27 June 2022
U.S. military equipment is unloaded from a ship. Russia's problems in Ukraine illustrate the consequences of insufficient logistical planning.
Interview

U.S. needs arms storage in Japan in case of Taiwan conflict: Armitage

Beijing trying to rattle Tokyo with AWACS plane target, former diplomat says

25 June 2022
Taiwanese fighter pilot Yen Hsiang-sheng sits inside an F-16V jet during a drill in January.
Politics

Taiwan jets respond to second Chinese air incursion this week

22 military planes enter Taipei defense zone Thursday

23 June 2022
Nanya Technology executives break ground on the company's $10 billion chip plant in New Taipei City. (Photo by Cheng Ting-Fang)
Semiconductors

Taiwan top memory chipmaker sees demand slowdown spreading

Nanya Technology flags revenue decline as cloud computing, data center orders weaken

23 June 2022
Asia has recently been in the foreign-policy spotlight on Capitol Hill.
Biden's Asia policy

U.S. lawmakers push for Asia-Pacific engagement with flurry of bills

Bipartisan measures call for more diplomats and Taiwan security assistance

23 June 2022
A view of Volcan de Agua, a volcano in Guatemala. The Central American nation is among 14 that recognize Taiwan as a sovereign country.
Interview

Guatemala foreign minister vows to maintain Taiwan ties

Central American nation focused on working with U.S. on immigration and economy

22 June 2022
U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez said in a statement: "As Beijing continues to seek to coerce and isolate Taiwan there should be no doubt or ambiguity about the depth and strength of our determination to stand with the people of Taiwan and their democracy."
International relations

U.S. senators introduce broad Taiwan bill to boost security aid

Proposal would provide $4.5bn in foreign military financing over next 4 years

18 June 2022
The Taiwanese company and its Japanese partners could start receiving payments by the end of this year.
Semiconductors

Japan to subsidize TSMC's Kumamoto plant by up to $3.5bn

Backing to come from METI fund intended to strengthen domestic chip sector

17 June 2022
TSMC says its 2-nanometer tech will be based on "nanosheet transistor architecture" and deliver significant improvements in chip performance and power efficiency. (Photo by Shinya Sawai)
Semiconductors

TSMC says it will make ultra-advanced 2nm chips by 2025

Taiwanese titan joins Samsung and Intel in race for latest semiconductor tech

17 June 2022
A teller counts New Taiwan dollar banknotes at a bank in Taipei, on February 23, 2017.
Economy

Taiwan hikes key rate for 2nd straight meeting as inflation surges

Consumer price index rose in May at fastest pace in nearly 10 years

16 June 2022
Foxconn Chairman Young Liu speaks at a groundbreaking ceremony for the company's first battery plant in the southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung on June 15. (Photo by Lauly Li)
Technology

Taiwan's Foxconn breaks ground on first EV battery plant

Smartphone assembler takes crucial step in challenge to global players like CATL

15 June 2022
Taiwan's grouper production last year amounted to 16,940 tons, and the export volume was 6,681 tons, according to Taiwan's Fisheries Department. China accounted for 91% of the exports.
Trade

China flexes economic muscle with ban on Taiwanese grouper

The fish is 4th agricultural product to be sanctioned by Beijing since last year

15 June 2022
Work on TSMC's new plants continues late into the night and on holidays as the chipmaker rushes to bring more capacity online. (Photo by Yu Nakamura)
Semiconductors

What Taiwan risk? Island's chipmakers embark on $120bn buildup

20 new fabs ready or in pipeline, dwarfing planned investments in U.S. and Japan

14 June 2022